More Than No Good
by KuraiArcoiris
Summary: Reborn had never disagreed with any of the ninth's decisions, but when the Vongola boss sent him to Japan to train Sawada Tamaki, the hitman started to think that the ninth had chosen the wrong twin…
1. The Twins

A/N: The cover art for this story is from part of **Il. mio. nome. e. Chrome. Dokuro**'s wonderful fanart. The link for the full version can be found in Chapter 29. Enjoy the fic.

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><p>Chapter 1: <em>The Twins<em>

As he spied on his future student and the boy's brother, Reborn could see why the ninth had chosen the younger of the two twins. Sawada Tamaki had a charisma and strength that his older brother lacked. Reborn gave out a small snort at the thought of having to come and train such a hopeless case. Tsuna was failing at all subjects, while Tamaki kept his grades passable. And Tamaki could excuse his grades with his excellent soccer skills. The older twin, however, didn't have any athletic skill whatsoever and couldn't even jump more than the third level of the vaulting horse. Tamaki was always surrounded by friends, a true sky attracting all. Everyone called the other twin Dame-Tsuna and would have nothing to do with the weak brunette. Sure, if Reborn had had to, he probably could have whipped the hopeless Tsuna into shape, but thankfully his job dealt with training the twin that actually had potential. Although, Reborn corrected in his mind, the older twin might have some potential. After all, they both carried the blood of Vongola Primo. Not that it mattered either way. Reborn had his orders, and he would stick to them regardless.

* * *

><p>"Eh? What's a baby doing in our house?" asked Tamaki.<p>

"Maybe he's lost," suggested Tsuna.

"You would definitely know what that looks like, wouldn't you, Dame-Tsuna?"

Tamaki laughed at his own joke while Tsuna gave his younger twin a weak smile. Nana stepped forward and smiled at Reborn.

"Where's your mother, little boy?" she asked sweetly. Anyone who had ever visited Iemitsu's home understood that his rants about his wife were far from exaggerated. She was one of the sweetest people alive. And since he knew she meant nothing but sweet concern with the question, Reborn didn't take offence.

"I'm Reborn, the home tutor."

"The home tutor!" Tamaki said about to burst out laughing. "Wow, Dame-Tsuna, this tutor is perfect for you!"

"I-I d-don't think i-it's right to laugh at him, Tamaki-san," said Tsuna as his brother laughed loudly. The smaller brunette (how could they be identical twins if he appeared so much smaller?) flicked worried eyes to Reborn. Either years of being bullied had enhanced the weakling's instincts for danger or the pathetic brunette was worried about Reborn's feelings. Probably the latter, in which case, he shouldn't have bothered. Reborn took care of any insults against him _personally_.

"So you're Sawada Tamaki then?" said Reborn, his eyes twinkling dangerously.

"Hai, hai. But the one you should be focusing on is Dame-Tsuna, he is the one that needs all the help he could get, even from a baby!"

Using a hundredth of his strength, Reborn kicked the laughing brat in the gut. The offensive laughter stopped immediately, and his student fainted from the pain. The brat wasn't as strong as Reborn had originally thought.

"Where's his room?" asked Reborn, directing the question at Nana.

"Um, up the stairs. The first door on the left," she answered, little effected by the fact a baby had knocked out her youngest son. Actually, Reborn could almost see relief and approval in her eyes, but the emotions flickered through her eyes too quickly. "Tsu-kun, help Reborn carry Tamaki upstairs."

"O-okay," said Tsuna, or rather squeaked. His wide, fearful eyes were glued on Reborn. He cautiously picked up his twin with much struggle and dragged the unconscious brat up the stairs. Somehow, the weakling got his twin all the way up the stairs and into the brat's room despite tripping four times on the stairs. The weakling was completely winded. However, he had yet to take his eyes off Reborn.

"D-do you need s-something else, R-Reborn-san?"

"No," he said. The weakling puzzled him. The brunette sat there shaking next to his unconscious brother. The weakling's brown eyes radiated fear, but he still hadn't left the room. Wait. He was not seated next to his brother, but rather the slightest bit in front of him. So the weakling had remained in the room as a buffer for his brother from Reborn. Interesting. For now Reborn would let the weakling stay. Both of them should know of their heritage anyway.

"U-ugh, what'd I get hit by?" murmured Tamaki, slowly rising to consciousness. His half-lidded eyes landed on Reborn. The hitman vaguely realized that Tamaki's brown eyes were less clear than the weakling's. Grunting, the brat stood up and took a swing at Reborn.

"I won't forgive you just because you're a baby!" yelled the brat.

"No, wait!" cried the weakling, but too late. Reborn had already grabbed the brat by the necktie and pounded the brat into the ground twice for emphasis.

"I have no openings. My true line of work is assassination," said Reborn. "My real job is to train you to be a mafia boss. But it'll be hard with such a spoiled brat."

"Eh? Mafia boss!" screeched the weakling.

"Who's the spoiled brat, baby?" demanded Tamaki in a groan of pain. "And why are you listening to that toddler, Dame-Tuna? He was obviously dropped on his head too many times."

Reborn took out one of his guns and hit Tamaki on the head with it.

"Would you like me to hit you again many times?" asked Reborn sweetly.

"Ugh! Get the psycho baby out of my room, Dame-Tsuna!"

"B-but h-he's got a g-gun!"

"It's obviously fake. Get him out, Dame-Tsuna, or do you want me to tell Kensuke about where you hide out for lunch?"

"This is not a fake," said Reborn, cutting the squabbling short. He aimed his gun at Tamaki's head. "Would you like me to shoot you to prove it?"

"Too many people would miss me if I was gone," said Tamaki confidently. The brat had hurried to hide behind his brother. "You can shoot Dame-Tsuna though. No one would miss him but Okaa-san, and I would be enough to comfort her. She only needs me after all."

The weakling said nothing to this comment, though Reborn had a good view of the shadowed expression that came over the older twin's face.

"Hm, maybe later," he said, placing the stock back against his shoulder. "I was assigned by the Vongola 9th to come to Japan and train Tamaki to be a mafia boss. The 9th boss is getting old and planning to pass on the boss status to the 10th generation."

"I-isn't t-there someone else, someone i-in the m-mafia m-more q-qualified t-to be b-boss?" asked the weakling. The shaking had subsided to fidgeting, and he made no move to stop shielding his twin.

"Stop playing along with him!" yelled the brat.

"Yes, but the most qualified, Enrico, was shot in a feud," answered Reborn pulling out a picture of the man's execution. Best to start desensitizing them now. "The young number 2 was drowned." The second picture made the weakling's face turn from pale to green. Tamaki didn't even flinch. "The favorite child, Fredrico, was reduced to bone."

"Stop showing them!" yelled the weakling, completely turned away from the pictures.

"You're such a wimp, Dame-Tsuna," said the brat. "So what, now I'm supposed to be the only valid heir left? Nice try, kid, but I don't have any connections to the mafia."

Reborn smirked. He brought out the Vongola family tree. "The Vongola's 1st boss retired to Japan. You're his great great great grandkids, and so in the Vongola bloodline and legitimate boss candidates."

"That's pretty elaborate for a toddler," said the brat, squinting at the paper in interest but not coming the least bit closer. "But I still don't believe you. If you were telling the truth, then both me and Dame-Tsuna would be boss candidates. And really, Dame-Tsuna couldn't be the heir to anything like that. He's too much of a wimp."

"And you're too much of a spoiled brat," said Reborn, fighting the urge to hit the brat again. He shouldn't damage his student too much, or else there wouldn't be anything left to train.

"What'd you say!" growled Tamaki, almost taking a step toward Reborn. He thought better of it though.

"R-Reborn-san, T-Tamaki-san is r-right. I-I can't b-be a mafia boss."

"And you won't be," said Reborn, making the meaning very clear. No student would ever die on his watch, and Tsuna had not been chosen. "I'm here to train the spoiled brat, not you."

"I already told you, toddler," said Tamaki, his teeth grit in anger. "I am not a spoiled brat, and I don't want to be called that by a baby!"

"W-will y-you hurt Tamaki-san, Reborn-san?" asked the weakling, and Reborn realized that the fidgety brunette had yet to move his gaze away from the infant.

"No more than necessary," said Reborn truthfully. He somehow doubted the brunette would believe a lie.

"A-alright," the weakling said as he stood.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" demanded Tamaki. "Come back here!"

"I-I t-think Reborn-san w-wants t-to t-talk to you a-alone, Tamaki-san," said the weakling. He threw a small shy smile and a quiet comment over his shoulder as he exited the room. "You'll be fine, Tamaki-san."

Reborn nearly blinked in surprise. An utter calmness seemed to fill the room before the older twin disappeared down the hall, leaving the younger one calling out and commanding him to return. Letting the moment slide, Reborn turned his full attention on his student. Time to teach the brat some respect.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Tsu-kun, did Tamaki wake up from his sudden nap?" asked Nana.<p>

"N-nap? U-um, y-yes?" said Tsuna weakly. Only his mother would think that a baby knocking out his twin was really his twin taking a "sudden nap." Tsuna tried to return the smile she gave him as she returned to her cooking, but his heart wasn't in it. Really, being overlooked to be a mafia boss shouldn't bother him. Tsuna didn't want to be involved in the mafia anyway, but...but…Tsuna sighed.

"Tsu-kun, come here. I need some help from my very best helper," said Nana. Tsuna's smile became truer as he went over to help his mother.

* * *

><p>Any jealousy Tsuna might have had quickly died the first time his twin ran out in nothing but a pair of boxers. Tsuna tried extra hard to not make any allusion to the display, but Tamaki still took offense and as usual sent Mochida-sempai to teach Tsuna a lesson in humility and remembering one's place. As always, the whole school seemed to forgive Tamaki his social trespass but mocked Tsuna endlessly when he was found hung from the school roof fence wearing only his boxers. And also as always, Tsuna merely shrugged off their taunts and headed for home early. Or at least he tried.<p>

"Where are you going, young man?"

"R-Reborn-san," said Tsuna startled. The infant hitman or tutor or whatever he was had appeared suddenly from nowhere in an old man costume. "W-what're y-you d-doing here?"

"Observing my student," said Reborn. Black eyes raked over Tsuna's form. "Where are you going?"

"Home," said Tsuna, trying to move around the strange toddler.

"The school day isn't over yet. Good boys and girls should stay in school."

"S-shouldn't y-you be in s-school then?"

"I'm a mafia hitman. I don't need to go to school."

Not knowing how to answer such a claim (especially when part of him _knew_ it was true) Tsuna said nothing and tried again to move around the toddler. Reborn hadn't moved but Tsuna couldn't seem to pass him.

"A mafia boss cannot be held down by a useless family member," said Reborn. He pointed a gun at Tsuna's head. Having seen the effects of the bullets in the barrel, Tsuna wisely stood still. If Reborn shot, the best case scenario involved Tsuna dying. "Go back to school or I'll shoot you."

"D-don't s-shoot, p-please, R-Reborn-san," said Tsuna frantically, "b-but I-I can't g-go b-back t-to school. A-and i-it w-wouldn't matter if I d-did anyway."

"Why not?"

"Huh?" Tsuna was surprised by the question. No one had ever asked him why before. They had just told him to march back to the school and put effort into actually learning something. "U-um, I-I…I-I d-don't u-understand a-anything."

"Then find a tutor then," said Reborn flatly. "You'll never understand anything if you don't try with your Dying Will."

The last two words froze Tsuna in his place. He had overheard the whole explanation for the bullets that had been shot at his brother. He understood the threat imbedded in those words. There were things that were just not a good idea to do twice in a day, and being clothed only in your underwear was one of them.

"HIEEEE! I'll d-do it R-Reborn! Just don't shoot!" yelled Tsuna, half-running, half-stumbling away from the demonic tutor. He was very glad that the toddler was not his tutor.

* * *

><p>Fidgeting, Tsuna stared at the board, hoping against hope that the figures scribbled on it would finally make sense so he wouldn't have to do as Reborn asked (read ordered). Nope. They still made no more sense than squiggles. With a sigh, he got up and started towards the only person who he thought might (and that was big MIGHT) tutor him.<p>

"What're you doing here?"

"U-um—I w-was—I-I n-need—"

"Spit it out, Sawada. I have better things to do."

"Please tutor me!" he said in a huge rush. The girl stared at him.

"You want me to tutor you?"

"P-please, K-Kurokawa-san. I-I might d-die otherwise."

"Die? Don't exaggerate," said Kurokawa, "And why should I use my precious free time to tutor you?"

"H-huh? W-well…I-I'll p-pay you?"

"Hm, fine. It's not like I have anything better to do since your brother's made a move on my best friend. The jerk won't let Kyoko out his sight lately."

"U-um, s-sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault. Sit down. Best to get this over with now. The tutoring sessions will be for an hour after school, and you have to do whatever homework I assign, not the teachers. That Nezo doesn't even know what he's doing half the time anyway. Get out a notebook and let's see exactly how bad off you are."

Tsuna obeyed, sitting in the desk next to hers and pulling out a notebook. Hopefully, this would keep Reborn off his back for now. The brunette was convinced that these lessons wouldn't make a difference. Not that anyone had ever tried to help him before.

* * *

><p>As the brat finally collapsed in his bad and fell asleep, Reborn popped his bubble and opened his eyes. The brat had gotten on the hitman's last nerve today. He had refused to defend his girlfriend from the kendo captain's advances, using the excuse that the captain was only entertaining himself. At first glance, one would think the captain and the spoiled brat were friends, but Reborn knew that the brat feared the captain and catered to the older boy with no resistance. Reborn had been forced to use the Dying Will bullet without being certain of the result. The brat had overpowered the captain, but not because he regretted letting the older boy touch the Sasagawa girl, but because he regretted letting the other boy boss him around. Reborn did not like cowards, and he liked proud, hypocritical cowards less. God was punishing Reborn for all his wrongdoings by giving him this student. No matter, Reborn would whip the coward right out of the brat. But first, the hitman was going to entertain himself.<p>

Reborn hopped off from his hammock and headed for the room next door. Fortunately for his student, Reborn knew his limits. If the infant hitman entertained himself with this student, his student would cease breathing forever. The temptation would be too strong. Instead, Reborn would make do with his student's brother. At the moment, the pathetic brunette was the less annoying of the two.

As he opened the door, Reborn was surprised to find the light still on. The brat had gone to bed at an ungodly time due to taking advantage of his new position over the kendo captain and partying wherever he could on the captain's dime. Yes, Reborn thought his hands holding one of his many firearms, the brat would need harsher training. One does not motivate subordinates on fear alone. Back to the boy in front of him. Reborn smirked as he noted that the weakling had fallen asleep on his desk, papers strewn in every direction. With a "gentle" kick, the boy woke up.

"Tamaki, no monsters live in the bed tonight. I have to finish this or Kurokawa Reborn will eat me," he mumbled half-awake from where he now lay strewn on the bed. Keeping the surname in mind, Reborn swung his gun in the brunette's general direction. The brown eyes blinked as they looked down the barrel before recognition filled them. The weakling immediately scrambled backwards, falling off the bed and bumping his head in the process. "HIIE! W-what're y-you d-doing h-here, Reborn?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"How! It's my room!" the weakling yelled in a confused panic. Reborn made a show of ignoring him in lieu of glancing over papers. The work was barely upper elementary level, but if Reborn had had to guess, the work was just over the weakling's current level. Apparently, the weakling had a fairly good eye, at least when it came to picking tutors. This one seemed to have experience or good common sense.

"I see you found a tutor," said Reborn. "I am glad that you will not burden the _famiglia_."

"H-huh? _F-famiglia?_ D-doesn't that m-mean mafia?" asked Tsuna. "I-I thought I w-wasn't going to h-have a-anything t-to do with the mafia."

"You will not be the boss," Reborn explained, "but as the boss's brother you will always be part of the _famiglia_ by extension."

"B-but I-I d-don't want to be p-part of the m-mafia."

"You don't have a choice," said Reborn. Leon crawled onto his hand and shifted into a gun. "Now get back to studying. You got answers 1, 3, 7-12, 16, 19, 21-26, 32, 34-37, 41, 45, 48-52, and 56 wrong. Fix them."

"E-eh! B-but h-how can you t-tell s-so fast?"

"Because I'm the mafia's number one hitman."

The weakling flinched, obviously believing Reborn and hurrying to fix the questions. Reborn smirked. He would definitely go out of his way to check up on this one.

* * *

><p>"You definitely did better than I thought," said Hana, looking over the answers. "You only got 7 wrong."<p>

"R-Really?" asked Sawada, clear surprise on his face. The boy had absolutely no belief in himself. Unfortunately, if she was going to tutor him, she would have to work on that. "I-I g-guess I-I should thank R-Reborn t-then…"

"Reborn? Who's he?" asked Hana, bringing out the new sheets of questions. They were a little harder, and she would have to go over them with him before he left, but they should be doable.

"T-Tamaki-san's t-tutor."

"Tutor? If your brother already has a tutor, why can't this Reborn tutor both of you?"

"U-um…H-he's a s-special tutor that's o-only here for T-Tamaki-san."

"Really," she said, sounding as uninterested as possible. So that brat was spoiled at home as much as he was at school. "Either way, don't go getting ahead of yourself, those problems were three levels below ours. Here's the new sheets for math, history, Japanese, and science. English is a subject that we'll take all our time to tackle tomorrow, so you need to return these sheets to me the day after tomorrow. Got that, Sawada?"

"H-hai," he said stiffly as he took the papers. He looked at them in dread, obviously realizing that there were twice as many as before.

"Before we go into those, we need to see exactly where you went wrong with these."

"O-okay," said Sawada, leaning over to look over the questions with her. As they went over the questions, Hana considered the boy that she had had thought was just a monkey like the rest of the boys in their class. Now she was starting to realize that the boy wasn't as much of a loser as she had thought. That stupid brother of his along with their classmates and even the teachers had pushed the boy down and tried to convince him that he should quit and stop trying to be anything but "no good," but he wasn't as hopeless or weak or stupid as they liked to assume he was. Here she was giving him the slightest chance to prove her wrong, and he sat next to her fixing his frightened and slightly overwhelmed eyes on the sheet of questions. His attention had not wavered from her explanation, not once. So even if he was too quick to shy away from her demands to think through the answer, she kept on him watching and waiting with more and more certainty for the moment that the facts would click and he would see the way to solve the problem. This new "job" was going to be more interesting than she had thought.


	2. Dealing with the Devil and a Hurricane

Chapter 2: _Dealing with the Devil and a Hurricane_

The bell had rung, but Tsuna barely paid it any mind. He had been in his seat for more than fifteen minutes doing nothing but going over the sheets that Kurokawa had given him. The last week and a half had been nothing but non-stop studying, and while some part of Tsuna was glad the squiggles on the board were starting to make sense, the rest of him studied out of fear that Reborn would make good on his threat. On the third day of Kurokawa's tutoring, Reborn had burst into the older twin's room (again) and had gone over the sheets. The sadistic hitman had then said then criticized Tsuna's work by stating that it would bring shame to the _famiglia_ and then threatened that if Tsuna did not manage to do 75% of the work correctly when Reborn came to check it, then the hitman would shoot Tsuna.

Of course, Tsuna had not believed him at first, but a bullet graze that left a burn on the side of his neck had quickly changed his mind. And so he had asked Kurokawa to give him the sheets before class with the intent to do them during class and go over them after class with her. She had not wanted to agree, certain that Tsuna could still get something out of their lessons even if they were still too far above his head, but Tsuna had convinced her by promising to find at least 4 teacher's comments per class that related to the material in the sheets. If he didn't manage to get 4 comments, she wouldn't go over the material with him, and so Tsuna would not get 75% of the work right. And then Reborn would shoot him on one of the hitman's random inspections. His whole world seemed to hinge on studying, and so he did it with a single-minded determination not to die. He already had five bullet burns, and the last had drawn blood. He did not want any more.

The teacher sighed, long past scolding Tsuna for his inattention. The boy had been getting better in his studies, and so his teachers had agreed to keep letting the boy work on the worksheets he had during class. Paying attention had ever done the boy good anyway. Only Nezo-sensei still called Tsuna down. So the teacher ignored Tsuna and got the attention of the rest of the class to introduce the new transfer student. Tsuna didn't notice when the rest of his classmates either squealed or shirked in fear, because a particularly difficult question refused to be solved and had sent the small brunette's head spinning. He had thought that maybe he had figured it out, when his desk suddenly got overturned.

"HIIE! My worksheets!" Tsuna nearly shrieked as he scrambled to pick up the scattered papers. The whole room erupted in laughter at this display of Dame-Tsunaness, and Tsuna stopped short suddenly realizing that all eyes were on him. His face glowed red, and he sat down clenching his worksheets and trying to not look at anyone.

"Che, what are these?" said an unfamiliar voice. Tsuna looked up to see a foreign boy glancing over some of the worksheets that Tsuna had left on the floor.

"Gokudera, sit down!" yelled the teacher.

"Pathetic," the foreigner spit out, slamming the papers down on Tsuna's desk. Tsuna shook under the force of both the blow and the glare the delinquent-looking teen was giving him. "An elementary school kid could solve these problems! And these are what you were so focused on? What are you, a moron!?"

"I told you to sit! Do so before I send you to the principal!" yelled the teacher. The delinquent gave Tsuna once last glare, making the timid brunette shrink further into his desk.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna, do you know that guy?" asked Kentaro. Tsuna shook his head, indicating to his seatmate that he had no idea who the new student was. The teacher interrupted them and scolded the two boys for talking. Tsuna quickly returned to his worksheets, and Kentaro turned away from Tsuna to scribble notes to the other boys who sat nearby. As the class went on, Tsuna wished he could shrink away into nothingness and avoid the glare that he could feel fastened to the back of his head. What had he done to deserve this?

-break-

"Well, Sawada, did you manage to get anything done?" asked Kurokawa. Tsuna shook his head in despair. He couldn't concentrate with that glare fixed on him the whole class.

"I-I d-don't t-think I-I'm going to finish," he said weakly, glad that the delinquent had gone elsewhere for the lunch period. Tsuna reached into his bag and took out a neatly wrapped bento. "H-here. T-thank y-you v-very m-much for helping me."

"You say the same thing every day," she said, accepting the bento. "I told you to tell your mother that she doesn't need to make me a bento every day as thanks for helping you. The money you give me at the end of the week is enough."

"B-but s-she wants too," Tsuna said with an embarrassed smile. He had not had the courage to tell her that he had made the bento. It sounded like such a girly thing to do. But he was grateful for her help, and his mother insisted that if you wanted to thank someone then you made them food. Then again her answer for everything was food, making it in any case. But if Tsuna was honest with himself, he would probably admit that he made the extra bento because it made him feel as if he had a friend, not just a tutor.

"Fine. But I'm only taking it because your mother's food excellent," Kurokawa said, "so make sure to tell her that."

"A-alright," Tsuna replied, his face heating up again. Instead of leaving like she usually did, Kurokawa plopped down in the empty desk next to him and opened the bento. Not sure about what he was supposed to do, Tsuna froze, but when Kurokawa started to eat the food, he took out his own bento and did the same.

"So, you really don't know that monkey with the bad temper," said Kurokawa, startling Tsuna into conversation. He nearly choked on the rice he had been eating.

"I-I've…I-I've n-never seen him b-before," said Tsuna after dislodging the food in his throat.

"Never? He probably has a problem with your brother and confused you for him."

"O-oh," Tsuna muttered. That made sense. Sudden explosions shook the building, causing Tsuna to look out the window. His brother and the new student were fighting. Or more accurately, Tamaki was running from the new student while the delinquent was chasing the younger Sawada. Tsuna scanned the area quickly, locating Reborn who was watching the two in interest, before turning his attention back to the classroom. Somehow, Tsuna knew that Reborn would keep his brother safe. He was more worried that no one else seemed to take any interest in the fight outside the window.

"So what do you think your idiot brother did to tick the delinquent monkey off?"

"U-um, K-Kurokawa-san," Tsuna said tentatively, "aren't you worried about the explosions in the courtyard?"

"Sawada," she said in a longsuffering voice, "those explosions are not in the courtyard. They're just fireworks going off somewhere in town because a store is having a sale."

"A-aren't t-they too loud f-for that?"

"No, you can barely hear them. Stop getting so freaked out over nothing."

Tsuna blinked as the explosions sounded again, wondering how anyone could say that they could barely hear them. Maybe he had more sensitive hearing than most, but—but still the explosions were coming from right outside! How could no one else hear them!

-break-

Reborn aimed his lean gun at his randomly chosen targets (poor flowers, they did nothing to deserve such a fate) and shot them at .05% of his power. They exploded at exactly the same moment, calming Reborn down somewhat. He tried to focus on the next chosen targets (poor unfortunate saplings) and forget his current frustration with his student. Gokudera had come exactly as Reborn had planned and challenged his student. The brat had, predictably, tried to run away from the situation, but Gokudera had chased the brat into a corner. Effectively, Reborn had shot his student with the dying will bullet, and predictably, his student had defeated Smokin' Bomb Hayato and gained the teen Mafioso's respect. And what had his student done then? The brat had rejected the silver haired Mafioso immediately.

Under the rules given to him from Nono, Reborn couldn't force someone into the brat's _famiglia_ if the brat expressly rejected the person, not matter how stupid the decision was. A boss has to choose his own subordinates. So when the brat had claimed that a boss couldn't be expected to trust someone that had once targeted him, Reborn had been forced to accept the pathetic excuse. But Reborn could see right through the brat. His student was simply terrified of Gokudera and jealous of the Mafioso teen's sudden popularity. In other words, the brat had rejected an excellent addition to the _famiglia_ because the brat didn't want to deal with the more popular and scary teen. Well, Reborn thought blasting the seventeen saplings that the people of Namimori had so carefully planted, the brat was not going to ruin Reborn's carefully laid plans. Sawada Tamaki was going to be a great mafia boss whether he wanted to or not.

But before Reborn could go about fixing his student's mistake, he would have to blow off more steam. This park had already sustained enough damage. People were going to do more than wonder if Reborn kept using it for target practice. Time to go check on the weakling's progress then. With a smirk, Reborn let Leon shift back into a chameleon and headed home where the hitman was sure a certain weak brunette would provide several hours entertainment. Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and Reborn could finally see a use for the weakling outside of being the hitman's personal stress reliever.

-break-

When his alarm went off, Tsuna barely managed to drag himself out of bed. Reborn had come to visit last night. Tsuna had thought himself safe when the infant had stated that the teen somehow managed to get 80% of the material correct, but the brunette had underestimated the baby hitman's sadism. The devil in baby clothes had then cheerfully declared that it was unfortunate that the teen hadn't managed to get over 95% correct and escape punishment. And so started the worst three hours of Tsuna's life. Tsuna had hoped those hours were merely a bad dream, but the bruises all over his body proved otherwise. What exactly was Tamaki-san doing that his tutor had time to come over and torture Tsuna?

Eventually, Tsuna tumbled down the stairs and stumbled into the kitchen fully dressed. His mother flashed one of her brightest smiles. He smiled back, glad that she was his mother. She never failed to make him feel better.

"Tsu-kun, you're finally up," she said cheerfully. "I heard from Reborn that you would be getting up late because you were studying so hard last night. Oh, Tsu-kun, you don't know how happy Mama is to see you so dedicated to your studies! I know you like to make them, but I made your bentos today in celebration. Make sure you don't get too involved in your studies and neglect your friends!"

With a sigh, Tsuna took the bentos from his mother. The demon had already fed his lies to Tsuna's mother, and Tsuna didn't have the heart to disillusion her. He had been studying his head off before Reborn had come in and nearly killed him. Grabbing a piece of toast and sticking it in his mouth, Tsuna decided he should be off before the demon came downstairs from waking up Tamaki-san. When he opened the front door, the piece of toast was all that kept Tsuna from shrieking.

"Good morning, tenth," said the transfer student with a bow. Tsuna back away, completely confused at the foreigner's sudden appearance.

"U-um, good morning," said Tsuna taking the toast out of his mouth, "b-but wh-who's T-tenth?"

"Tenth? Are you okay? Did you fall and hit your head this morning? Did UMAs attack during the night and erase your memories?"

"U-UMAs? H-head? W-what're you taking a-about?"

"Don't worry, tenth! I'll cure you no matter what! You can trust your right hand man!"

"M-my w-what?!" Tsuna asked in a near shriek.

"Shut up!" yelled a voice that made Tsuna cringe. He ducked in time to avoid the slipper that flew over his head and hit the transfer student instead. "It's too early for your shrieks, Dame-Tsuna!"

The transfer student flinched at the blow, and Tsuna pitied the strange teen. The brunette knew how strong Tamaki-san's blows were in the morning. Even after the slipper fell from the shocked teen's face, the transfer student continued to blink.

"Not you again," growled Tamaki, who was definitely not a morning person. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you I didn't want you in my _famiglia_."

"Shut up, spoiled brat," said another all-too-familiar voice that caused Tsuna to flinch just hearing it. The teen wondered what he had done so wrong that he couldn't get away from it. There the demon was on Tamaki-san's head. "He's not here for you, _remember_?"

"I don't kno—ack!"

"I told you I would explain to him, brat, so let me," said Reborn after kicking the head he was standing on. Again, Tsuna couldn't help but be glad that the demon wasn't his tutor, but more and more he was wishing that the demon wasn't his brother's tutor either. Tsuna couldn't feel very safe with that demon anywhere within fifty miles. "I called you over this morning because the spoiled brat felt that he was too rash and decided to test your loyalty. You are to watch over his brother and make sure no harm comes to him. If you manage to keep the weakling alive, then the brat would reconsider your request to enter the _famiglia_."

"I never said—ow! Sto—ah!"

"So will you accept his request?" asked Reborn innocently, as if he hadn't just left Tamaki-san moaning on the ground.

"OF COURSE!" yelled transfer student, making Tsuna want to cover his ears. The strange teen was almost as loud as Sasagawa-sempai. "I will take care of your cheap imitation! You can rely on your future right hand man!"

"Fine, fine," murmured Tamaki-san, "as long as it gets both of you off my back. Let me go get breakfast now!"

"No can do. If you're not at school in five minutes, you'll all get bitten to death," said Reborn, a smirk on his cherubic face. Tsuna hastily glanced at the clock which confirmed what the sadistic demon had just said. Instantly, Tsuna pushed past the transfer student and dashed down the street. He couldn't believe he had woken up so late! Ever since he was six, he had gotten in the routine of waking up early and eating breakfast with his mother. Eventually, he had begun helping her make the bentos in the mornings too. It was the only time he could have his mother completely to himself. He treasured his mornings, and now Reborn had made Tsuna get up at nearly the same time as Tamaki-san and miss a leisurely morning. And worse, Tsuna might be late to school too. He had never been this close to meeting Namimori Middle's violent head prefect in person. Hibari scared Tsuna stiff. Thankfully, years of running from bullies had made Tsuna fast, and he reached his seat a few seconds before the bell. He collapsed, completely exhausted, and barely reacted when his seatmate, Kentaro, handed him a pack of papers. Smiling wearily, Tsuna took them and mouthed a "thank you" to both Kentaro and Kurokawa. The two nodded, and Tsuna closed his eyes and blacked out, completely missing the transfer student's entrance and renewed glare.

-break-

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Hana made her way over to Sawada. The boy had come in almost late this morning and then proceeded to remain unconscious for most of the lessons. In fact, the boy had only woken up when Nezo-sensei had thrown chalk at him, twice. Sawada had not even reacted to the class's laughter when he answered the two questions incorrectly (though his guesses were much closer to the answers than before) and had merely collapsed back on his desk. Hana could not help but think that Sawada's behavior had something to do with that delinquent monkey who had entered the classroom barely seconds after the brunette boy and then proceeded to try to glare a hole in Sawada's head.

"Sawada, get up," she said, lightly thumping the boy with a stack of his former worksheets. The boy immediately snapped up.

"P-please don't hurt me!" cried Sawada in his most pathetic voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Hana, her grip tightening around the stack of papers, "so you can lay off the drama."

"H-huh? K-Kurokawa? E-eep! I-I'm sorry! I-I d-didn't—"

"What do you think you're doing, wench!?" yelled the delinquent monkey, coming between her and Sawada. "How dare you lay a hand on the tenth's copy!"

"The tenth's copy?" she asked incredulously.

"I'll guard the tenth's copy with my life!" said the delinquent monkey, pulling out what looked like dynamite. "Get back, woman!"

"First, I don't care for threats," Hana said. One had to be firm and clear to get across to these kinds of blockheaded monkeys. "Second, I speak Japanese, a perfectly good human language, use it. Third, I have a good idea about who you're taking about, and you will not refer to Sawada as a copy of _him_. Fourth, if you're supposed to be guarding him, then why did he suddenly show up late this morning with bruises that weren't there yesterday? And fifth, if anyone should be getting away from anyone, it's you from Sawada. I won't tolerate stupid blockheaded monkeys getting in the way of my work."

"Why you—" the monkey growled, his face a shade of red a lot less endearing than Sawada's.

"K-Kurokawa, p-please don't make him mad," said Sawada, moving to squeeze himself in between her and the blockheaded monkey, but the desk limited his mobility. "A-and, u-um, r-right hand-san, p-please don't light t-those in here. Y-you'll destroy the c-classroom a-and us too."

The idiot monkey gave Sawada a glare that made the brunette quiver and shrink in on himself, but he put away what Hana was now sure were dynamites.

"Now move out of the way," she said, "I have to make sure that Sawada knows what problems to work on next." At Sawada's pleading look, she added, "Please."

Growling again, the monkey made way for her, turning his glare on both of them. Hana merely gave the monkey a glare of her own and blocked Sawada's view of the blockheaded monkey.

"So what exactly did you do to your idiot brother to get _that_ sicked on you?" she asked, sliding a nearby empty desk nearer to Tsuna's. This part of the classroom was usually empty for lunch, due to no one wanting to get close to "Dame-Tsuna," but she was sure she could blame the growling monkey behind her for the extra space today.

"Don't talk about the tenth like that! Say that again, and I'll blow your mouth off!" yelled the monkey. Even without turning around, she could guess that he had his dynamites out again. Hana was half-curious to see if the monkey would actually use the things or if they were just for show. Idiots like that were usually all bluff and no follow-through. Tsuna half-stood in his desk and reached behind her.

"W-wait, u-um…r-right hand-s-san! I-If you b-blow her up t-then you'll b-blow me up a-and then Tamaki-san—!"

Hana heard a distinct click of the tongue, so the monkey obviously had backed down. She was right. The idiot monkey was all bluster and no action.

"U-um, it wasn't T-Tama—" Sawada started before abruptly stopping and changing mid-thought. "I-I mean, r-right hand-san's showing m-my b-brother that he c-can be a g-good b-bodyguard, that's a-all."

"So he's using you to impress your brother?" Sawada nodded, and her annoyance with the monkey increased. "As if your idiot brother was worth showing off to."

"I told you not to talk like that about the tenth, woman!"

"R-right hand-san, s-stop!"

"He might if you stop encouraging him," said Hana. "What's with that ridiculous 'right-hand-san'? Are you calling him that because you don't know what his name is?"

The way Sawada's face fell gave her all the answer Hana needed.

"You should at least pay attention when the homeroom teacher's introducing new students," said Hana. "His name's Gokudera Hayato. You can call him 'blockheaded monkey.' It's far more appropriate."

"Woman, if it weren't for—!"

"G-Gokudera-san, enough!" said Sawada in firm tone Hana had never heard from the timid brunette before. "A-and you too, Kurokawa-san! G-Gokudera-san doesn't mean anything b-bad, I-I think…"

"Fine," said Hana, finding it strangely difficult to argue with the boy when he used that tone, "I'll drop the subject if the monkey promises to quit calling you that idiot's copy."

"I'll call him whatever I want, stupid woman!"

"P-please, G-Gokudera-san," said Sawada with a shaky smile. "C-call me, Tsuna. I a-already know I'm just T-Tamaki-san's copy, s-so it's okay t-to just c-call me Tsuna."

Something in the words made Hana want to do something out-of-character like punch the brainless monkey. She turned around, set on ignoring Sawada's request and giving the monkey a piece of her mind, but the stupid monkey muttered a distinct "whatever" and sat down at a nearby desk.

"H-Here," said Sawada in an obvious attempt to distract her. "T-today's bento should b-be really good. T-thank you—"

"If that monkey gets to call you Tsuna, then so do I," she said cutting the brunette off as she took the bento. "And that means you have to call me 'Hana.' Got that?"

"H-huh? B-but…"

"After all, the monkey's just one of your brother's gorillas and I'm your friend, so he shouldn't be able to call you by your first name if your friend doesn't."

"M-my f-f-friend?" asked Sa-Tsuna, his eyes impossibly wide. Hana wasn't exactly sure when she had decided to stoop to being the supposedly "dame" Tsuna's friend, but she wasn't going back on her word now.

"Yes," she said, "your friend."


	3. And the Rain Nearly Fell

Chapter 3: _And The Rain Nearly Fell…_

The smile had yet to fade from the pathetic copy's face, even three days later. At random times, the copy would just burst out into a wide happy grin, and it would stay there for a ridiculous amount time before shifting into a smaller but still content smile. And it was worse whenever the stupid woman went near him. For her part, she seemed more amused than annoyed. Stupid woman, causing a problem and then being amused by it rather than fixing it. Gokudera could not help but be irritated by the two, but he stayed true to his mission and kept the copy safe, making sure to do so more obviously whenever within the tenth's view.

Part of Gokudera had grown used to that stupid smile, so when the stupid copy came in from the bathroom without it (Gokudera would have followed the copy but the stupid teacher hadn't let him) the bomber had gone an alert. Then the school's male idol and star baseball player, Yamamoto Takeshi (who was even worse with smiles than the copy) had entered with a strange heavy look on his face, and Gokudera gave the baseball idiot a good glare. The idiot was obviously the cause for the stupid copy's distress. The baseball player gave a sick grin in reply to the glare, and Gokudera took that as proof that his message had gotten across. Job done, Gokudera continued on the lookout for actual threats. He didn't care who distressed the copy as long as the copy wasn't in actual danger.

When the lunch bell rang, Gokudera slowly made his way over to the copy, trying to make the walk between his desk and the copy's as long as possible. By now, the obnoxious smile had probably returned, and the stupid woman would make it ten times worse with her presence. If it weren't for the tenth's promise of reconsidering his offer, Gokudera wouldn't go within ten feet of the two.

"…ith Yamamoto. Best tell me and get it over with," the stupid woman was saying when the bomber finally arrived. The bento that the copy had brought was already opened in front of her. Gokudera growled, as he always did, at the thought of how ridiculous it was to inconvenience the tenth's mother for that stupid woman. She didn't deserve the tenth's mother's lunches.

"I-it's n-nothing," said the copy in a pitifully weak voice. The smile had not returned, and a sad sort of thoughtful look had taken its place. "I-I j-just o-overheard s-something."

"And what is it you overheard?"

"I-I c-can't t-tell y-you," said the copy, flicking eyes nervously over to Gokudera. The stupid woman gave Gokudera a flat look before turning her attention back to the copy.

"If it's about your idiot brother, you might as well say it now. He'll be disillusioned eventually."

"I-it's n-not t-that…" said the copy. His eyes were now everywhere, making Gokudera clench his jaw. Before the bomber could comment on the copy's stupid behavior, the copy reached into his bag, took out another bento, and offered it to Gokudera. "I-I t-thought y-you m-might like o-one. Y-you n-never s-seem to eat a-anything, G-Gokudera-san."

Gokudera stared at the neatly wrapped bento. Part of him was furious at the offer, wondering exactly who the copy thought he was that Gokudera would need the stupid copy's help securing food, but part of Gokudera insisted the bomber take it and not waste the tenth's mother's work. A third part reminded him with a harsh jerk in his stomach that he had eaten nothing but cheap protein bars for four weeks.

"I don't need your help," Gokudera growled, snatching the bento out of the copy's hands, "but I won't let the tenth's mother's work go to waste."

"Tsuna, you should know better than to feed monkeys," said the stupid woman, using the tone of a scolding mother. "They are always ungrateful."

"No one asked you, stupid woman!"

"Guys!" yelled a boy running into the room. "Yamamoto's about to jump off the roof."

"W-what!" cried the few people in the classroom. The other students of 1-B were cowards and had started to eat elsewhere due to their inability to withstand Gokudera's aura. Some had even given the excuse that the intensity of Gokudera and the stupid woman's arguments had made them violently ill. Morons. The copy was able to stay near Gokudera and the stupid woman and eat with a smile, and the stupid copy was the weakest out of all of them. The rest had no excuse. Speaking of the copy, he had run out the door.

Cursing, Gokudera chased after the pipsqueak. The half-Italian knew from experience that the stupid copy was nothing if not fast. Not that the weakling had much stamina, seeing that as soon as the copy arrived to his destination, the roof this time, he collapsed.

"Y-Y-Yamamoto!" the copy gasped. "D-don't! P-p-please!"

"Dame-Tsuna?" said Yamamoto. The baseball player was on the other side of the roof's fence. Gokudera scoffed. If the idiot wanted to jump, why was he taking so long?

"P-please d-don't j-jump! The b-baseball g-gods—no, y-you haven't—why— why can't I just say—?"

"So this is how far I've fallen," said the baseball player, that sick smile back on his face. Gokudera scanned the nearby buildings for snipers and paid attention to how far the footsteps were behind them. He couldn't care less what was going on between the copy and the baseball idiot. "Even Dame-Tsuna pities me."

"I-I don't pity you!" yelled the copy. "I admire you!"

"Admire me?" said the baseball idiot, shock coloring his tone.

"Y-yes," said the copy in a stupid squeak. "Y-you're d-dedicated enough to something that y-you'd d-die f-for it. B-but n-now I d-don't know i-if I-I c-can a-admire you anymore!"

"Really," said the baseball idiot. He was obviously sucked into the copy's bizarre attempt to stop the idiot from jumping. Gokudera continued to scan the area, making sure that all the students entering the roof were indeed students of the school. The baseball idiot spoke again. "Why not?"

"B-because y-you're giving up," said the copy. "Tama—He's wrong. T-there aren't any baseball gods."

"What the heck is Dame-Tsuna going on about?" said one of the students who had just come onto the roof.

"I don't know, but it's stopping Yamamoto from jumping so hush," said one of the others.

"Can Dame-Tsuna really stop him?" said another, a girl with short hair.

"Of course not, but he might buy us time to think of something," said another girl, this one with her long hair in a bun.

"Right! So what do you think we should do?" said a girl with dyed blonde hair.

"I have an idea," said a boy with short cropped hair. Gokudera decided that their conversation was even less worth listening to than the copy and the baseball idiot's.

"W-well, if there w-were baseballs g-gods," the copy went on, "they wouldn't throw someone so dedicated to baseball away. S-so t-they're a l-lie. I-I'm s-sure the G-God t-that exists made Y-Yamamoto-san a g-good—no, a great b-baseball player for some reason, and i-if y-you kill y-yourself you won't know w-what it is. So p-please d-don't jump."

As the two idiots locked gazes, a silence fell that was nigh unbreakable. Gokudera kept an eye on the perimeter, but soon found himself shuffling under the continuing silence. The busybodies who had come up to stop the baseball idiot hadn't even dared to whisper and took quiet shallow breaths. They could not do more under the intense aura the copy was giving off as he focused on convincing the baseball player to come to the other side of the fence with willpower alone. The copy's slight Vongola heritage (only that could explain the stupid copy's suddenly strong aura) managed to keep the other idiots quiet for fifteen minutes while the baseball idiot stared back. Finally, the baseball idiot moved. Carefully, the baseball player climbed over the rusty fence (it should have snapped and rid the world of one more idiot) and set his feet firmly on the safe part of the roof. With a relieved sigh, the copy stood, breathing as hard as if he had run a marathon.

"I'm glad you're okay," said the tenth's copy, another smile on his face. Gokudera moved to the side to let the now sweaty copy go down the stairs first. The teen Mafioso intended to keep a better eye on the small smiling brunette.

"Hey, Da—Tsuna wait!" cried the baseball idiot, but Gokudera shut the door in the idiot's face. The bomber could still hear whisperings of what was being said on the other side of it though.

"Yamamoto, are you okay?"

"What were you thinking, man!"

"I can't believe Dame-Tsuna did it…."

Gokudera smirked at that comment and headed down the stairs after the disappearing brunette. It wasn't really a surprise. The copy _was_ related to the tenth.

* * *

><p>Hana did not like not knowing things. She hadn't followed Tsuna to wherever he had run to during lunch because he was gone before she could register that he had moved. For a boy who was pathetic at anything athletic, he sure had moments of incredible speed. She had figured the boy would return when he had finished whatever he had run off to do. And he had, with the stupid monkey following. The monkey had a smug smirk on his face, but Tsuna himself looked exhausted again, like he had the day that the stupid monkey had started acting as bodyguard. She hadn't asked what had happened to the small brunette because Tsuna had sunk into his desk and sluggishly restarted on his lunch, as if he had barely enough energy to focus on his meal. Wanting the boy to finish his lunch (he was way too skinny as it was), she decided to ask later.<p>

Then Yamamoto, their school's supposed male idol, had entered with a large grin she had not expected on the face of someone who almost committed suicide, irking Hana further. Hana did not like the popular teen. In Hana's opinion, the baseball player was nowhere near the caliber of her female best friend and didn't deserve to be called the school's other idol. He was just another monkey, but she was somewhat glad to see that he had decided not to throw himself off the roof if only because cause a terrible tragedy to be tied to Namimori otherwise. And if that grin was anything to go by, he wouldn't be making a second attempt in the nearby future.

The problem came when she noticed the intense looks the popular monkey was throwing Tsuna. They did not resemble the glares Gokudera would give Tsuna at the slightest provocation. In fact, the looks were of wonder and interest and brought her to the conclusion that the popular monkey's decision to not jump had been heavily influenced by Tsuna. She found the whole situation strange. From what she had seen, Tsuna had never been the type to stick his nose in other people's business, mostly because the boy felt unqualified and scared to meddle. He had a good heart and good intentions, but he didn't intentionally involve himself in other's problems. And so Hana wanted to know why the boy had decided to dash off and stop Yamamoto from jumping, as if the small brunette was personally involved.

At the last bell, she made a beeline for Tsuna's seat. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one. Yamamoto was also trying get to Tsuna, but the popular monkey was blocked by friends and fans who wanted to ask if the baseball player was alright. The stupid monkey had already taken his place beside Tsuna, but Hana had long since given up on that. Strange though, that the monkey was there before her.

"Okay, spill," she said, placing her hand firmly on his desk and refusing to let Tsuna just leave. Not that he would have, since they had tutoring lessons now, but it never hurt to be certain.

"S-spill w-what?" asked Tsuna. She was starting to know him well enough that she could safely guess that the question was more out of true confusion rather than avoidance.

"What happened on the roof?"

"What do you think, stupid woman?" said the monkey, the smug smirk returning. "Dame-Tsuna did the tenth proud and kept the baseball idiot from jumping."

"He said you could call him Tsuna, not Dame-Tsuna."

"I'll call him whatever I want, woman!"

"You won't call him a copy or Dame-Tsuna, understood? Or is that too difficult for a brainless monkey?"

"Who're you calling a monkey, wretched wench?"

"I'll call _you_ whatever _I_ want. It's only fair. And who in the world says 'wench' in the 21st century?"

"I'll show you who, wench!"

"G-Gokudera-san, d-don't!" said Tsuna, immediately pulling Hana away from the stupid monkey and his bluffing dynamites.

"Stay out of this, Dame-Tsuna!"

"Now, now," said a new voice, "Kurokawa's right. You shouldn't call him that. Besides I don't see anything '_dame'_ about him."

"Who asked you, baseball idiot?" demanded the monkey. "I don't need to be lectured by someone who nearly killed himself for a game and had to be saved by a mere copy."

"G-Gokudera-san!" exclaimed Tsuna, now standing from his seat. That strange commanding tone layered his voice. "Stop!"

Silence fell over the entire group. Hana was surprised that the room was suddenly void of all the rest of the class. Tsuna took deep breaths, as if tired out from the single word. Hana took the growingly shallower breaths as her cue to rephrase her question.

"So you saved Yamamoto from committing suicide?"

"Yep," said the popular monkey, instead of letting Tsuna answer the question. "I was going to jump, but Tsuna here said some pretty important things that snapped me out of it. My stupidity causes everyone problems."

"B-but y-you w-wouldn't have d-done i-it if—" said Tsuna, cutting himself off. He hid his eyes behind his hair.

"If your brother hadn't said those things," said the baseball star, an almost understanding in his hazel eyes. Hana could also swear that the baseball player suddenly looked a bit disappointed.

"What things? What did the tenth say?" demanded the stupid monkey, his face shifting between eagerness to something not unlike panic. Hana smiled. Maybe the time to disillusion the stupid monkey had come.

"D-doesn't matter," said Tsuna a bit too quickly. She wondered why the brunette continued to try to prolong the inevitable. He meant well, but no matter how he wished, his brother would not suddenly become a person that deserved the stupid monkey's admiration. "I-I'm s-sorry f-for w-what h-he s-said b-but….B-but I-I'm…w-well, I-I'm g-glad h-he did."

"You are?" said Yamamoto. The baseball player's eyes were whirling with confusion, wariness, and a strange sort of eagerness that matched Gokudera's earlier expression.

"Y-you n-needed t-to hear those w-words, d-didn't you?" said Tsuna.

"Yep," said the baseball player a wide grin splitting his face as the confusion and wariness disappeared leaving only the eagerness. The popular boy swung an arm around Tsuna. "Then I'm glad your brother said those things too."

"E-eh, w-why?" said Tsuna, his voice squeaking in reaction to the sudden contact.

"Because who knows how long it would have taken me to become friends with Tsuna otherwise," said Yamamoto, giving the smaller brunette a squeeze before letting him go. "So you want to walk home together? I don't have baseball practice today."

"U-um, f-friends?" asked Tsuna, his voice small and fragile. At Yamamoto's firm nod, Tsuna's lips stretched into a smile, smaller but much sweeter than the baseball player's grin. Hana decided that the baseball player wasn't as much of a monkey as she thought. "I-I w-would like to walk h-home with you, Y-Yamamoto-san, b-but I-I have to study w-with Hana-chan."

"Hey, don't call me –san, I'll feel weird," said Yamamoto. "Just call me Yamamoto or even Takeshi. No one calls me Takeshi but my old man, so it'd be nice to hear someone else use it. Oh, and if you're studying, then can I stay and study with you guys. My grades are terrible, and I need all the help I can get."

"That's not something you admit so proudly!" yelled Gokudera. "And who do you think you are inviting yourself? Dame-Tsuna pays for these lessons!"

"He's not 'dame,' stupid monkey," said Hana, losing her temper. "And if you are so intent on having only those who pay in here then go play bodyguard outside!"

"I told you I'll call him whatever I want, wench! And I am on a mission, I don't need money to be in here!"

"Mission? What mission?" asked Yamamoto.

"D-don't a-ask please," said Tsuna, cringing back into his seat. "G-Gokudera-san, I-I'll p-pay e-extra for Y-Yamamoto. H-Hana, p-please, the w-worksheets o-or R-Reborn—"

"Fine," said Hana, understanding that the worksheets bore more importance than dealing with the blockheaded monkey. She wasn't going to let him win though. "I forgot to tell you, but my friends get discounts. You only have to pay me half, and for Yamamoto you can pay one half of that price so I get paid how many fourths of the original sum?"

"Half is two fourths….and one more so…t-three?" Tsuna said.

"Exactly, I get paid three fourths of what I was getting paid," said Hana. "Did you use the fraction division method to get the answer?" Tsuna nodded. "Good. Keep practicing it."

"That's pretty awesome, Tsuna. I couldn't get that without writing it down first," said Yamamoto, a wide grin still on his face. "Can you tell me what half of that is?"

"Um…the current payment's 1,500 yen so…750 yen…and then one fourth's….375 yen…add them together and…1,125 yen…and then half again…round up…about 563 yen!" exclaimed Tsuna triumphantly, but he still locked gazes with her. She whipped out her calculator to be certain, but…

"Well looks like the trick for juggling figures in your head helped," said Hana. She put the calculator on Tsuna's desk, showing that the correct answer was 562.5, and if he rounded up then…

"I was right," said Tsuna, a disbelieving awe in his voice.

"Che," murmured the stupid monkey. "As if being able to add and divide is so amazing..."

"Wow, Tsuna. I can't do that," said Yamamoto with an appreciative whistle. He threw his arm around Tsuna again, who was much less startled that time. The baseball player nodded as if deciding upon something. "It'll definitely be worth 563 yen to study with you guys."

"What? Y-you d-don't have to do that!"

"If I want to keep my grades up enough to play baseball, I do. What'd you think, Kurokawa?"

"Sounds fine to me," said Hana, smiling herself. Yes, the baseball player was definitely not the monkey she thought he was.

* * *

><p>A large group of unfortunate yakuza men scattered like frightened roaches at the sound of more gunshots. Most of the 58 men were unconscious and two were in critical condition. Those two had been the first victims. Reborn reloaded the rifle kept firing. The brat had pushed the hitman into a mood where Reborn could barely hold back, and those first two had suffered the consequences. Fortunately for the other victims, after the first two, Reborn had adjusted his power. The hitman had wanted to show the superiority of Vongola and vent his frustration, not kill the men. Too many dead bodies brought unwanted attention. As he finished off the last man, Reborn jumped on one of the roofs and let Leon shift into a phone.<p>

After informing the authorities of the fairly bloodless slaughter, Reborn headed back towards the house, his anger far from quenched. The brat had lost yet another potentially irreplaceable subordinate, this time a born hitman. And not only had the born hitman been lost because of the brat, but the brat's words had nearly driven the promising teen to throw away his life. And the brat's weakling of a brother had had to be relied upon again. The weakling had managed to keep the baseball player from throwing himself off the roof, but this time there would be no way to recover the rejected teen as a subordinate for Vongola. The promising teen would never again listen to a word that the brat had to say. And intimidation would not work on the baseball player. Reborn stopped walking and glared at the leftmost window of the Sawada home. The brat would pay, but for now, another visit to his weakling brother was in order. Reborn smirked as he leapt and opened the rightmost window.

He entered the still lit room and watched as a head with wild brown hair bent over the table and a pencil scritched and scratched. The smirk sharpened, and Reborn leapt onto the table without moving a single paper.

"Ciaossu."

"R-Reborn!" the weakling spluttered, backing away from the table with wide, quivering eyes. "I-I'm n-not d-done!"

"Oh well," said Reborn, picking up the papers. "I'll just count the ones you haven't finished wrong."

"W-wait, p-please, R-Reborn," said the weakling, diving to get the papers back. Reborn yanked them away in time to prevent the weakling from touching them. "Y-Yama—T-Takeshi-kun n-needed e-extra h-help t-too, a-and—p-please!"

"Hm," hummed Reborn, giving the appearance of mulling the decision over. A light of hope entered the weakling's eyes. "No."

The weakling deflated. Reborn scanned the papers, surprised to find that the boy had gotten 88% correct. And 10% of what was wrong was unfinished.

"Not bad," said Reborn, startling the weakling who had taken to quivering beside the bed. Clear eyes stared at the hitman in wonder. "But it's still not enough to escape punishment."

"HIEEE!" screeched the weakling as he tried to run through the door. Leon shifted into a staff, and Reborn used it to trip the weakling. Time to have some fun.


	4. All About a Box

Chapter 4: _All About a Box_

Packing the last of the four bento's into his extra bag, Tsuna waved goodbye to his mother and headed towards the door. He smiled brightly as he opened the door.

"Good morning, Gokudera-san," said Tsuna, his good mood more than a match for Gokudera's glare. He hummed as he headed towards school with Gokudera. Reborn had not come to visit him for a good two weeks, ever since Sasagawa-sempai had started to hang out with Tamaki-san. And yesterday Tsuna had gotten his worksheets done with only one mistake, so Hana and Takeshi had decided that today they would celebrate by going to Takeshi's father's sushi restaurant. Tsuna had never been happier in his life.

"Yo, Tsuna!" called Takeshi, jogging to catch up to Tsuna and Gokudera.

"Good morning, Takeshi-kun," said Tsuna, turning his smile on the other boy. Takeshi grinned back.

"Stop grinning!" growled Gokudera. "You both look like idiots!"

"Sorry, but I can't help it," said Takeshi. "I'm all pumped that Tsuna's coming over. Dad can't wait to meet you and Hana."

"I can't wait to meet him," said Tsuna, his cheeks heating.

"I can," muttered Gokudera.

"No one cares what you think, monkey," said Hana, coming to walk beside them. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Hana," said Tsuna.

"Yo, Hana," said Takeshi. "Dad's looking forward to meeting you."

"I heard," said Hana. "He sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to tasting this sushi I've heard so much about."

"Dad's sushi's the best in town," said Takeshi. "It's almost as good as Tsuna's mom's cooking."

Tsuna blushed, and Takeshi laughed at the smaller brunette's expression and slung an arm around Tsuna.

"It's the truth," said Hana. "Your mom's bentos have spoiled most other food for us. Even the monkey can't deny it."

"Of course! The tenth's mother's amazing!"

"Wow, Gokudera agreed with Hana," said Takeshi. "What do you think, Tsuna? Is the world coming to an end?"

"What's that supposed to mean, baseball idiot!" yelled Gokudera. Takeshi laughed, and Tsuna could not help but laugh with the taller teen. Gokudera growled again, whipping out his dynamites. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Stop! Please stop!"

The loud voice surprised the four, and they exchanged glances. Gokudera put away his dynamites, to Tsuna's relief, and headed towards the cry.

"What're you doing?" asked Hana.

"None of your business," said Gokudera. Tsuna and Takeshi exchanged glances. Tsuna thought he saw a question in the hazel eyes, and he nodded thoughtlessly. He immediately regretted it as Takeshi's lips stretched into a sharp grin.

"Hey, wait, we'll check it out with you," said Takeshi grabbing Tsuna and dragging the smaller brunette behind him as he headed off after Gokudera.

"Boys," Hana muttered before following the other three.

* * *

><p>"Give it to us!" yelled a muscled teen with dreadlocks, trying to yank the device out of a redhead's arms.<p>

"No! Let go!" the redhead yelled back.

"For crying out loud," said the second large teen with bleached hair. "Just knock the kid out."

"Alright," said the first teen. The redhead tightened his hold on the device.

"Stop! Please stop!" the redhead cried, reaching a whole new volume.

"You're too loud," said the first teen, punching the redhead in the face. The redhead stumbled back and resisted the urge to touch his face and wipe off the blood he could feel trickling down his lip. The disgusting metallic taste filled his mouth, but the redhead refused to let go of the device. "He's still holding on. If we don't get this back to the boss, he'll sick Mochida on us."

"Fine," said the teen with bleached hair. "Help him, Rai."

"Got it," said a third large teen, this one was bald but with a beard. He reached over and pried the redhead's hands off the device.

"No!" cried the redhead as the device was pulled away from him. The redhead blinked back tears. He had worked so hard and so long. "No! Please!"

"G-give it b-back," said a new voice. The three muscled teens turned to look at the intruder at the alley entrance, and the redhead took the opportunity to dive and grab the device again. Unfortunately the dreadlocked teen saw the lunge and dodged it. The red head fell, and the gritty dust of the ground made the taste in his mouth worse.

"You heard Tsuna," said another voice. "You should give back what isn't yours."

"And who's going to stop us? You?" asked the bleached hair teen.

"We could just call the police. They'll take care of you monkeys," said yet another voice. The redhead finally raised his head and looked towards the alley entrance. Four teens stood there. None of them looked very strong, and the one in the middle was shaking. The red head struggled to rise.

"G-get out of here!" the redhead yelled. "They're dangerous!"

"You heard him," said one of the intruders. "This is none of our business."

"B-but G-Gokudera, y-you c-came f-first a-and I-I….b-but…" said the shaking one in the middle.

"So should we just leave him?" asked another, looking at the petite teen.

"Doesn't matter what you do, we're taking this back to the boss and there's nothing you can do about it," said the bleached haired teen. "So it'll be better for you to just forget about it and let us through."

"No," said the shaking teen, suddenly steady. "Y-you c-can't just take it l-like t-that."

"I already called the police. They're on their way. I'd drop whatever you monkeys are trying to take and get lost," said the only female. The bleached haired teen cursed.

"Let's go before the cops get here," the bleached haired teen, earning nods for the other two muscled teens. The three made a dash for the alley's entrance but two of the intruders stood in the way.

"You're supposed to leave the guy's thing here," said the tall brunette intruder.

"The tenth's copy told you to leave the thing, so you'd better do it. He'll be a pain to put up with later if you don't," said the other silver haired one.

"You're not going to stop us," said the bleached haired teen, throwing a punch towards the tall brunette. The tall brunette dodged and brought out a bat. The silver haired teen moved in and knocked the other two off their feet. In an instant, the two were also unconscious. The bleached teen looked around and finally landed his gaze on the female. Before anyone could register what he was planning, he grabbed her. "Let us go, or the girl gets it."

"Coward," growled the silver haired teen, holding onto one of the other two's collars.

"You heard me," said the bleached haired teen, a knife appearing in his hand and touching the girl's neck. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?"

"I could care less," said the silver haired teen.

"Of course you could," said the girl with a cross between a sigh and a growl. She tilted her head back further to look at the attacker and create a little more space between her neck and the knife. "It shouldn't be long before the police get here and have a sniper rifle aimed at your head."

"If they do, my last thought will be slicing your throat," said the bleached haired teen, once again full of confidence.

"Let her go!" yelled the petite brunette, a hard look in his wide brown eyes.

"Or what? You'll tell your mommy about me?" said the bleached haired teen.

"No," said the brunette, earning stares from everyone in the alley. The redhead blinked. What was that light that was reflected in the brunette's eyes? They couldn't naturally be orange. "You will let her go."

"Do you really think I'm going to feel threatened by a pipsqueak?" said the bleached haired teen, though he took a step back. The small brunette didn't reply. He took a step forward. The bleached haired teen took a step back. The small brunette took two steps forward, and the bleached haired teen scurried further backward. Every step forward the brunette took, the bleached haired teen moved back until the muscled teen's back hit a wall.

"I will tell you one more time, let her go," said the small brunette.

"N-no," the bleached teen. "I-I'm more scared of b-boss than you."

"You were warned," said the small brunette. For a second, he disappeared, and then his fist was in the bleached haired teen's face. The bleached brunette's eyes rolled backwards, and the once intimidating teen slumped to the floor. The small brunette shrunk into himself again. "A-are y-you a-alright, H-Hana?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said the girl, looking speculatively at her once captor. "I'd like to stand here and check out exactly who's fine and who's not, but I did call the police. If they get here now and these three get it into their heads to turn the complaint against us, the police might believe them over us. They are the ones unconscious."

"The wretched wench's right," said the silver haired teen. "The police are dangerous."

"I-I t-think i-it's t-the other w-way a-around," said the smaller brunette, the fierce look completely gone from his eyes.

"They agreed again, Tsuna," said the taller brunette, swinging an arm around the smaller one. "The world's going to end really soon!"

"Keep your thoughts to yourself," said the girl at the same time as the silver haired boy said, "Shut up, baseball freak!"

"W-we h-have t-to l-leave r-right," said the smaller brunette, effectively silencing the other three. Then the brunette turned around. "Y-you w-want to c-come w-with us?"

The four pair of eyes scared the redhead a bit, especially after seeing the four in action, but they had saved him. The redhead got up from where he had sat watching the fight. He picked up the device, and walked towards the four.

"S-sure," the redhead said holding his arm loosely around his stomach. He attempted a small smile. "I'm Irie Shoichi. Who are you guys?"

* * *

><p>The white and yellow cube sat on low table as five teens leaned over the colorful device.<p>

"So what's it do?" asked Takeshi.

"Nothing much," said Irie. He scratched his head in embarrassment. The younger boy had been invited to join them after school at Takesushi to celebrate with them. He had accepted reluctantly, but he seemed to be having fun now. "It's a storage unit."

"It's a box? Why were those greedy monkeys after it then?" asked Hana.

"Well, it can store a lot of things that one wouldn't think possible," said Irie. He picked up the cube in one hand and pointed it towards the table. Two flaps opened, a light flashed, and the table disappeared.

"W-wow," said Tsuna. Takeshi guessed Tsuna was stuttering because Irie was here. Apparently, Tsuna stuttered around people he wasn't comfortable with. The small brunette had stopped stuttering around Gokudera, Hana, and Takeshi about a week ago. Given a little time, he'd probably stop stuttering around Irie too.

"Where'd the table go?" asked Takeshi, a little worried about the disappearance of the table. His old man wouldn't be too mad, but it might be hard to explain exactly what had happened to the table.

"It's in here," said Irie, holding up the box again.

"That is amazing," said Hana, "how'd you get it in there?"

"I used molecular physics. It was an accident actually. I was trying to make an awesome robot, not a storage unit," said Irie.

"Are you saying that you reduced the table by rearranging the protons, nuetrons, and electrons so that they can fit in the more confined space?" asked Gokudera. He looked like if he had just been told to pitch for the first time. "How did you manage that?"

"I used the first law of thermodynamics and converted the solid into energy in the form of heat using a unique flame I discovered," said Irie. Gokudera had notebook open and was scribbling notes. "Then I used the same flame to help deconstruct and reconstruct when the box reopens."

"Is the expenditure of the flame equal on both the input and the output or is reconstruction more exhaustive than deconstruction?"

"It's actually a matter of solids versus liquids versus gases when dealing with the amount of expenditure and the amount of time or even the manner of release…"

"They seem to be having fun," said Hana, as the two went back and forth.

"I-I have n-no idea w-what t-they're saying," said Tsuna. He was looking a bit dizzy, as if he had spun around really fast.

"I don't either," said Takeshi.

"And that's surprising how?" said Hana. "Honestly, I don't think any of us people with normal brains could keep up with that conversation."

"Y-yeah," said Tsuna.

"Hm? Is something bothering you Tsuna?" asked Takeshi, noticing the smaller brunette's expression. "Was the sushi alright?"

"Oh n-no, the sushi was great," said Tsuna. "It's just…"

"Spit it out," said Hana. "We'll get it out of you one way or another."

"U-um, well, I think…I think that Irie might still be in danger," said Tsuna.

"Why?" asked Takeshi. "We took care of the bad guys following him."

"W-well, y-yeah, b-but…t-they mentioned a b-boss…"

"They did," said Hana, putting her chin on her hand. "I see. You're worried that their boss could just send more goons to get the box."

"T-the b-box?" said Tsuna.

"Like I said before it's, a box. A box is used to store things and that," she said indicating the device that Gokudera was still gushing over, "stores things. "

"That makes sense," said Takeshi, grinning. "Hey, Irie, can you return the table? Dad gets mad if furniture is destroyed or disappears."

"And this happens often?" asked Hana.

"Sometimes," said Takeshi. "Dad has some pretty violent customers here sometimes. The other day a kid came in here with another kid and nearly destroyed the place, but then the cow kid's father came and paid for all the damages. The cow kid looked a little down when he came back to apologize though. I think he wasn't allowed to play with the other kid again."

"Cow kid? Do I even want to know what you're talking about?"

"Alright," said Irie, interrupting them, "I'll return the table."

Gokudera looked like his eyes were going to pop out when the box opened and the table returned. He scribbled down notes so fast that Takeshi thought he could see smoke, but that couldn't be possible.

"I-Irie-kun," said Tsuna, "D-do you think t-that y-you'll g-get attacked again?"

At the words, Irie froze as if realizing the ball was finally coming to him. He collapsed onto the floor and grabbed his stomach.

"U-ugh, it hurts," he murmured. "Why won't they leave me alone?"

"That's easy, we'll just report them to the police," said Hana.

"I tried, when those guys first approached me," said Irie. "The police think I'm paranoid."

"Why?" asked Hana.

"I kind of had an incident where I saw a woman with purple dishes chasing a guy around. One of the purple dishes even hit a post and half melted it causing it to lean over. And then a strange baby came from nowhere and stopped her. And then the woman cried, because-and I know this sounds weird but I really saw it- but the baby told her to go away. And then the guy laughed, and so she started chasing him again. A purple plate nearly hit my head and I ran out of there. I told my mom who called the police, but by the time they got there, the whole alley looked fine. None of it was melted, and even the pole was upright. It was crazy! Just remembering it makes my stomach hurt."

"That was one really bizarre dream! Mine's usually only have to do with baseball," said Takeshi. The story sounded like something out of a comedy manga his teammates talked about in the locker room.

"Okay, enough," said Hana. "The point is that since there's actually been an attack Irie-kun can—"

"I don't want you guys to get in trouble," said Irie, cutting Hana off. "If I told the police what happened and showed them proof, those guys really might turn the complaint against you guys saying that you guys were looking to beat them up or something. And if I tell the police what happened without proof they'll think I'm making it up again. I guess it's only a matter of time before those guys steal my invention."

"T-then m-maybe w-we c-can help," said Tsuna.

"I told you I don't want to get you guys in trouble," said Irie. "And besides, you can't be with me 24/7."

"W-we can k-keep the b-box for you…u-until y-you need it."

"Makes sense," said Hana. "We can't be around you 24/7, but we can definitely be around the box."

"R-really? You guys would do that?" asked Irie.

"Of course," said Takeshi, with a wide grin as the redhead's eyes reached over the rim of his glasses. Takeshi ruffled the boy's hair. "You're our friend now."

"F-friend?" asked Irie, doing a pretty good Tsuna imitation.

"Yes," said Tsuna with a smile that Takeshi was sure would glow in the dark. "We're your friends."


	5. Worthless Waste of Space

Chapter 5: _Worthless Waste of Space_

Reborn leaned against the wall, observing as the weakling went over the last worksheet and stretched. The brat's brother had managed to finish the papers a lot faster than the last time Reborn had checked in on him. Luckily for the weakling, the brat had not caused his tutor too much stress in the last few weeks. Mostly because for the first time since the hitman had started tutoring the brat, Reborn's attempts to add true potential to the _famiglia_ had succeeded. Of course, Sasagawa Ryohei had made it near impossible for the brat to reject or get rid of the boxer, both because Sasagawa Ryohei was the brat's girlfriend's brother and an idiot. The white-haired boxer would not know rejection if someone beat him down with it.

Things had progressed smoother from there, since the brat had started to use his leadership skills and organized the rubbish he had chosen into some semblance of order. The brat had had to do something with the growing amount of followers he had attracted. The organization was not quite Vongola standard, or even yakuza worthy, but the group was good enough for practice. Reborn had given his student several "missions" in form of challenges to give the brat real life experience. For the most part, the "missions" had worked. The brat had learned what parts of his group worked better together and a bit on how to inspire his subordinates with something besides fear. Unfortunately, Reborn was starting to realize that the brat still lacked what was core for all great bosses: an equal loyalty for his subordinates as his subordinates had for him. When three of the brat's group had ended up injured and caught by the police, the brat had been prepared to let the three suffer their fate. Reborn had quickly _corrected_ the brat's attitude, and the brat had used his growing resources to retrieve the three, though it had taken a full two weeks and a half before the three subordinates had returned to give their report.

The three came with stories about dark demons who looked like normal people but lurked in dark alleyways, and that one monster who bore a passing resemblance to their boss. That one had knocked out the mission leader and stolen the target, at least according to the three. One of the first things that Reborn had tried to teach the brat was that subordinates would often fudge or embellish reports to keep from getting in trouble, especially when the boss used intimidation as his main form of motivation.

The brat had merely dismissed the three and sent four others to finish the mission. They had returned saying that the target was no longer with its creator. That had led to Reborn teaching the brat the importance of information systems. The brat had half-listened, as always, but he had sent two to spy and try to locate the target. Reborn had gone to follow the subordinates and rate their effectiveness when he stumbled upon something that had surprised him. The target's maker was hanging out with the weakling, his friends, and Gokudera. Suddenly, the three's report had a stronger ring of truth. And so Reborn had decided to go and check up on the brat's brother and see if the weakling had had anything to do with the three's failure.

"Caiossu," said Reborn, standing in the middle of the table. "Long time no see."

"Reborn!" cried the weakling in the usual fashion, scooting as far away from the table as possible. "W-what are y-you d-doing h-here?"

"Checking to see if you got 95% or more right," said Reborn, scanning through the papers. The contents surprised him (and no one had surprised this much since he was an actual child). The papers were current homework assignments rather than upper elementary school work it had been. The boy had already caught up. And the homework only had two errors.

"I-I w-was s-surprised too. H-Hana really helped," said the weakling, running his hands through his hair as his face turned red. So the boy and his friends were on first name basis now. "S-she said w-we're getting m-much better. S-she might m-make the tutoring a s-study session soon."

"She's an excellent tutor then," said Reborn. The boy grinned, and Reborn took the instant to reason out how the weakling had read him so easily. Not many could tell when Reborn was surprised. Which was happening more and more often, thought the hitman as he saw an orange cube sitting innocently on the edge of the table. "What's this?"

"T-that?" said the weakling in a squeak. "N-nothing. A-a gift f-from a f-friend. P-please give it b-back R-Reborn."

"What if I don't want to?" said the hitman, grabbing the cube and leaping off the table.

"G-give it b-back," said the weakling as he tried to grab Reborn. The hitman dodge the boy's hands with minimal effort. Reborn examined the object as he leapt out of the boy's reach. The cube was indeed the storage unit that had interested the hitman. He had thought to send it to the Vongola mechanics and see what could be done with it, but after meeting the head mechanic's son, he had thrown out the idea. Still, the cube was interesting. A hand reached out and yanked the cube out of Reborn's hand.

"Y-you c-can't h-have it," said the weakling, curling up in such a way to protect the cube from getting snatched away again. "I-I p-promised I-Irie-kun."

Reborn studied the weakling as the boy remained in his curled position. The weakling had managed to snatch the cube away from the hitman. Yes, Reborn had allowed himself to be distracted, but not many could say that they got through Reborn's guard whether it was down or not. And Reborn could not be certain, but he thought that maybe the boy's eyes had contained a flash of orange when he had done so.

"I won't take it away from you," said Reborn. Brown eyes peeked out from the ball the boy had formed. "Now tell Uncle Reborn who gave you such a nice present."

The eyes gained a wary look, and the boy said nothing, only locking gazes with Reborn. Reborn remembered his initial impression of the boy. The weakling would not believe lies.

"I don't want to take it," said the hitman, being as truthful as possible. He wanted the spoiled brat to take it, especially now that the task had become interesting. The twins avoided each other as much as possible. The weakling would leave before the brat got up, and the weakling would be in his room by the time the brat got back home. Reborn had yet to see a true confrontation between the two, and he knew that if there was one, the results would be interesting. Besides, if the weakling was guarding the cube, Gokudera Hayato might get another chance to impress the brat, since the brat had now dealt with people like Kaido. Smokin' Bomb Hayato was known for his fierce reliability when it came to missions, and so if the weakling was in any danger, then the Smokin' Bomb would definitely be there to protect the small brunette.

"D-do you know who's t-trying to hurt I-Irie-kun?" asked the weakling.

"Maybe," said Reborn, a touch of teasing in his voice. "I am the mafia's number one hitman."

With a smirk, Reborn left the weakling's room. He had plans to set in motion.

* * *

><p>The four's laughter was making a ruckus as usual which in turn made Gokudera's job more difficult. How was he supposed to concentrate on potential threats if they were making so much noise?<p>

"Lighten up, monkey," said the wretched wench, placing a card down. "We're not going to get attacked in Yamamoto-san's restaurant. You saw what happened to the last group of guys that decided to fight in here."

"I'm still amazed when I think about it," said Shoichi, not even looking at his card as he put it down. "Your Dad's amazing, Takeshi-san."

"Yeah, my old man had some pretty good moves, didn't he? I asked him to teach me, but he says I have to be more serious before he can teach me," said the baseball idiot, flicking a card expertly onto the table.

"As if that will ever happen," growled Gokudera. The baseball idiot had the audacity to grin at the comment.

"You're quiet today, Tsuna," said Shoichi. "Is something bothering you."

"I-it's n-nothing," said the stupid copy, quickly putting a random card down. Gokudera wanted to punch the stupid copy for lying so noticeably. The stutter instantly gave it away. The tenth would never have made such a stupid mistake.

"Does it have to do with your brother?" asked the wench. She folded her cards and put them on the table. The baseball idiot and Shoichi followed her lead. "I haven't seen Kyoko in a while and I assume he's been keeping her busy."

"N-No, it's not about my brother…," said the copy, getting an oddly thoughtful look on his face. "I…I don't…think it is…"

"If you tell us, then maybe we can help you figure out if it has anything to do with your brother," said the wench.

"Yeah, Tsuna, if it's about your brother, we'll definitely help," said the baseball idiot.

"I had no idea you had a brother, Tsuna-sempai," said Shoichi, "but I'll try and help if I can."

"I'm sorry, Irie-kun," said the stupid copy.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"Someone found out I had one of the boxes." The copy took out a badly folded note. "I-I found this in the mailbox this morning."

"Let me see," said the wench, taking the paper and smoothing it out. She proceeded to read it out loud. "'We know that you have what we want. If you do not give it up, we will send your friends to the hospital or graveyard one by one. If you want to make the wise choice and hand it over, come to the edge of Namimori's wildlife park at 7PM on the 22nd.'"

Rolling up the paper, the wench hit the copy on the head with it.

"O-ow! What did I do?" he asked.

"Exactly what were you thinking of doing?" demanded the woman. She looked like she wanted to hit him again. "Going to this place by yourself, and what? Let them beat you up?"

"You weren't going to hand it over were you?" asked Shoichi.

"Of course Tsuna wouldn't do that," said the baseball idiot. "He'd ask them to stop bothering us. He might even convince them to do it too."

"Don't even think it," said the wench. "He's not going to go talk to those violent thugs."

"Not by himself. We're going to go back him up," said the baseball idiot.

"I think it might be better to just give it to them," said Shoichi. His eyes were hidden behind his glasses, but he continued eagerly. "It's not like the boxes are worth getting into so much trouble for."

"But you worked so hard on them," said the copy. "And I—I let them know where one is…"

"It's alright, Tsuna-sempai, I can just invent more. And I think I'll make the next batch have some interesting features—"

"That's great," said the wench with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But if you give into these thugs now, they'll just keep coming after everything you make. Besides you wanted to keep the boxes a secret until you figure out exactly how they work, and the stupid monkey's helping you, right? These goons will probably try to steal your research next because their brains won't be able to come up with ways to make more. And who knows what they will do to get it. If they don't stop now, they might never stop."

"Then we have to stop them," said the copy. His eyes went from set and determined to wide and confused. "N-no—I m-mean—"

"That's a great idea, Tsuna," said the baseball idiot.

"And how are we supposed to do that," said the wench. "Maybe the stupid monkey and Takeshi could beat sense into some of them, but I doubt that they could take on a whole gang."

"Che. I could take on a hundred of those weaklings," said Gokudera.

"So if there are three hundred, what do you propose we do?" challenged Hana. "Irie and I won't be any good in that sort of situation, and I don't think that Tsuna's mind tricks will work on more than one person at a time."

"M-Mind tricks…?" mumbled the copy.

"I'll take them all out," said Gokudera, "and you can stay at home where you belong, woman."

"You'd do that for me?" asked Shoichi. Gokudera squirmed uncomfortably under the green gaze that reflected something the bomber had once seen in the mirror.

"I-it's not like I can let idiots get hold of that kind of technology."

"Seems like monkeys can feel for something besides themselves," said the wench.

"Shut up, wench!"

"So Gokudera, Tsuna, and I'll go and get those guys to stop bothering Irie then," said the baseball idiot. Gokudera wanted to snap at the baseball freak too, but that plan was as sound as they could get.

"No. Tsuna's not going," said the wench. "I'm telling you that whatever he used on that one guy probably won't work on several people at once. Tsuna just won by psyching that guy out. If there's enough people to keep you and the monkey occupied, then he won't be able to defend himself. It's best if he stays with us."

Gokudera stomped over to where the woman had the stupid copy pinned down with her firm gaze. She had to learn that the copy was not there for her to mother. He was Gokudera's charge, not the she-witch's. Her silence and surprise in the face of his fiercest glare was satisfying, although the wench did dare to glare back at him.

"Listen, wench," he said, his voice low and serious. "I know that what he did with that dual-haired idiot was a fluke. And as much as I would like to leave the waste of space behind, we need the element of surprise. We won't have that if I or the baseball freak show up. It needs to be the tenth's copy. But I promised the tenth that I would protect him with my life, and I will. So stop being so annoying!"

The wench's glare narrowed, but he could tell that the woman was processing what he had just said and testing the logic. Gokudera didn't care what the wench thought, but if she was against the copy going, it would make things unnecessarily difficult.

"He's right," said a quiet voice. The tenth's copy gazed straight into the wench's eyes. "I have to go."

The wench sighed.

"Fine, but if you don't come back, I'm locking the monkey up in a cage."

"I'll come back," said the copy, eyes and smile turning towards Gokudera. "Right, Gokudera-san."

Clicking his tongue, Gokudera looked away from the stupid copy. If only the tenth would look at him with the same amount of trust…

* * *

><p>The pipsqueak squeaked as the four men appeared from behind the shadows of the trees. Kaido had no idea why the boss needed whatever the pipsqueak had brought or what had brought the pipsqueak here, but this assignment was starting to look promising. The eighteen year old fingered the knife in his pocket and started imagining ways to make the pipsqueak shake even more.<p>

Ever since he was a five year old, Kaido had an unhealthy affection for fright, and he loved the smell of fear. He had practiced several terror techniques on his older siblings, who were all now in several mental institutions. However, Kaido had never felt fear himself before meeting the boss. Though he was nothing but a thirteen year old boy, Sawada-sama could strike fear in anyone. With his wild eyes and fiery brow, he looked like a monster and hit like one. Kaido had come upon the boy one day when the boss was partying in a club with several of his subordinates. The eighteen year old had thought to terrify the younger teen, and Kaido had succeeded for a full minute. Kaido had even begun to smell the truest scent of fear when the younger teen had snapped and beat Kaido to the ground. Down on the ground feeling demon punch after demon punch, Kaido had quivered in fear for the first time. Kaido had pledged his life in exchange for escape from that fear. The boss had agreed. And Kaido had grown quite pleased with that choice, since Sawada-sama used Kaido's life to send the older teen on missions to intimidate and terrorize people, like this pipsqueak. He reminded Kaido fondly of Sawada-sama, and so Kaido would make sure to take time making this one scream.

"Do you have what we need?" Kaido asked, lowering his voice and adding a hissing echo. The pipsqueak quivered at the sound.

"N-no."

"No?" said Kaido, getting excited and showing his excitement in a creepy grin. "Then where is it?"

"N-n-nearby," the pipsqueak barely managed to say. "B-but w-why do y-you w-want it?"

"Because our boss wants it," said Kaido, motioning for the other three men to leave this to him. The signal also applied to the dozen or so teens hiding nearby. He stepped forward and used the four or so inches he had over the pipsqueak to tower over the shaking preteen. Kaido rarely got a chance to use height as an intimidation factor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his four-inch knife, making the small boy shake more. "Now why don't you be a good little boy and fetch it for us."

"W-who's y-your b-boss?" asked the pipsqueak, his voice nearly unintelligible due to his worsening stutter. Kaido leaned closer, making sure the light hit his strange pink eyes in a specific way.

"My boss is a monster. Aren't you lucky I came in his stead?" The teen lifted the knife and use the tip to tap the pipsqueak's cheek. "But you won't be lucky if you keep me waiting."

"Get away from him!" yelled a new voice. The pipsqueak was pulled backward, and something with a bright tip spun through the air. Kaido immediately moved backward, but the three with him didn't move in time. An explosion ripped through the air and knocked the three unconscious.

"So there was someone else," said Kaido, not really caring if the pipsqueak had brought a friend. It meant one more person to terrorize. He took in the singed bodies of the three with distaste. Their expressions were frozen with too much shock and not enough real fear. The intruder was an older boy, probably already in his teens, and he stood in front of the pipsqueak holding several sticks of dynamites in hands decorated with several rings. He glared at Kaido. Not an easy one to scare then. There went the promising look of the mission. Kaido much preferred the ones that were easier to scare. Less work, more reward. "And I suppose you were the one holding onto the storage unit the boss wants."

"As if I would risk letting it fall into the hands of an ugly creepy albino like you," said the intruder. "Tell your boss that we don't plan to give him anything."

"Fine, then," said Kaido. "More fun for me. Strike."

At the signal, the dozen or so teens came out of hiding to attack the two. The older one lit the dynamite and tossed them towards the attackers and took out quite a few. Another teen burst out from some bush and attacked those who had survived the multiple blasts. Kaido had to admit the newest entrant to their free-for-all had skill as the tall teen swung around his baseball bat as if it were a sword. Soon enough, it was only Kaido left standing on the field opposite the pipsqueak and the other two.

"I'm sure if the boss were here, he would want to recruit you two," said Kaido, distracting the two teens from attacking. He had already sent the emergency signal that the boss's advisor had prepared. The strange child had been right about a dozen being far too few to take this opposition down.

"As if we would want to join your boss," said the explosives user. "What kind of coward sends so many men after a pathetic waste of space?"

"A well-informed one," said Kaido, twirling the knife in his hand. "You turned out to be a strong bunch."

"Don't lump me in with these two idiots!" yelled the explosive user. "Get lost, creep. Go inform your boss that the device isn't worth the price he'd need to pay to get it."

"You don't know my boss. He's quite used to getting his way, and he'll pay whatever he has to to get what he wants. Like a pipsqueak's otherwise worthless life."

The pipsqueak's brown eyes filled with surprise, and Kaido waited for the hint of fear before tossing the knife at the shaking boy. An arm reached out and stopped the knife. More than an inch of the blade dug into flesh.

"He's off limits, creep!" yelled the bomber. He pulled the knife out of his arm before pulling out more dynamites. "Double Bomb!"

Kaido dodged the explosives and moved in closer to the pipsqueak. A metal bat blocked his way, and sharp hazel eyes glared at him as he blocked the blow with his arm.

"You shouldn't pay too much attention to me," Kaido warned. "There are other dangers in the world."

"Dame-Tsuna, watch out!" cried the bomber, noticing said danger first. A gunshot sounded, and the pipsqueak screeched in terror. Kaido smiled. He had no doubt the pipsqueak would have a wonderful terrified expression on his face now, maybe even a permanent one. The teen with the bat was distracted by the sound, and so Kaido side-stepped the sharp-eyed teen to get a better look.

"O-ow," the pipsqueak moaned, rubbing his arm. "T-that w-was c-close."

"He missed," murmured Kaido annoyed. He hated faces full of relief. The distraction almost cost him his consciousness as the bat grazed his head. He caught the bat on the next swing and smiled eerily. "Now we're getting ahead of ourselves. There's still a person with gun somewhere _nearby_."

The sharp hazel eyes widened, and a flicker of delicious fear entered them. Another gunshot, another screech.

"Tsuna!" the teen cried, this time he was trying to get around Kaido. Kaido let the teen move around him, because after fear Kaido liked helplessness best. But instead of helplessness, shock filled the teen's features. Curious, Kaido turned around, and his smile returned. The bomber lay strewn upon the pipsqueak. Blood spilled from a shoulder, but the bomber continued to press the pipsqueak against the ground and shield the small boy with his larger body.

"Gokudera," the pipsqeak yelled frantically. "Gokudera! Get off! You're bleeding! Please, get off!"

"How interesting. He's going to die for a waste of space," said Kaido, enjoying the helplessness in the pipsqueak's face. "I guess if he wants to die for a pipsqueak, then he shou—"

Pain erupted in the back of Kaido's head, and Kaido vaguely realized that he should have kept an eye on that bat. He heard more shouts and registered the sensation of falling before black overcame his vision.

* * *

><p>He could only hear that phrase, that phrase repeated over and over. He's going to die for a waste of space. He's going to <em>die<em> for a waste of space. He's going to _die_ for a _waste of space_. No. Gokudera can't die, not for Tsuna. Tsuna…Tsuna wasn't worth it. Another bullet sounded, and Tsuna rolled both Gokudera out of its way. The silver haired teen gave a cry of pain at the movement, and his intense green eyes rolled up and closed. He needed a doctor. Now. Another bullet sounded, and another roll. Gokudera was already unconscious. The bomber couldn't take much more. Decision made, Tsuna rolled them away from a bullet once more and made sure that he landed on top. His arms and sides ached from the rolling, but Tsuna instantly stood.

A warmth filled his entire body, a warmth that Tsuna knew could turn into burning heat. Another bullet sounded, but Tsuna was already moving towards the source of the sound. The bullet passed nowhere close to him. Before yet another bullet could sound through the field, Tsuna had reached the gunner and had him by the throat. The man-no, he was a teen a little older than Tsuna-gave a cry at the grip and the heat. Tsuna raised one finger and poked the gunner in the center of the teen's forehead, the knowledge of what to do flashing into his mind. The heat concentrated into a flame on the tip of Tsuna's finger, and the gunner slumped into unconsciousness.

"Tsuna?" asked Takeshi from the edge of the cluster of trees that the gunner had decided to hide in.

"There's more of them," said Tsuna. He had no idea how he knew, but he had other worries on his mind. "They're getting closer, and Gokudera-san needs to go to the hospital."

"Right," said Takeshi. The baseball player rushed over to the still bleeding Gokudera, and Tsuna followed. Between the two of them, they got Gokudera onto Yamamoto's back. Tsuna made sure the heat was gentle as he touched either of his friends, but the heat was pulsing with the warning of approaching enemies.

"Let's go," said Tsuna, using as much of the heat as possible to pull Yamamoto into a fast run. The two moved in an all-out sprint the full fifteen blocks to the hospital. The heat subsided as the enemies didn't follow, and Tsuna found it harder and harder to hold onto the heat's strength.

"Help!" yelled Tsuna as they ran into the emergency room. "My friend, he's shot! Please help him!"

Several nurses immediately came over and lifted Gokudera off Takeshi's back and onto a gurney. Takeshi didn't say a word as the hospital staff wheeled Gokudera into an operation room, and a frown marred the usually cheerful face. Tsuna grabbed onto Takeshi's arm and used the last of the heat to spread calm gently up the baseball player's arm.

"H-he'll b-be fine," said Tsuna as vibrating hazel eyes turned to him. He knew the hot headed teen would be fine the same way he had known about the enemies. "H-he'll b-b-be f-fine…"

The heat was gone. Tsuna slumped against the taller teen and vaguely felt arms wrap around him. The smaller brunette wanted to keep telling Takeshi that Gokudera would be alright, to be stronger for the worried baseball player, to put the smile back on the cheerful teen's face. But in the end, Tsuna was still worthless.


	6. Hospital Visits

Chapter 6: _Hospital Visits_

Reborn was past the point of finding peace in violence, but he continued to smack trees in Namimori's untamed wilderness with his bare fists. He ran further through the forest. A gun. Of all the things Reborn should have accounted for, a gun should have made the top of the list. But the hitman had done the stupid mistake of assuming. Reborn had assumed that his student did not have access to firearms and that the brat knew better than to mess with weapons after the stupid Bovino incident. But no, the brat was both an idiot and resourceful. Turns out one of the brat's subordinates had connections to an arms dealer and had gotten a couple of guns for the brat's little gang. And now the brat had sent someone with a gun against unarmed opponents who were more of a nuisance than a threat. If this was an example of the future Vongola would have under Tamaki, the Ninth would do better to revive his son Xanxus and give the leadership of the Vongola to the traitor. Reborn could teach the brat tactics, organizational systems, how to use a weapons, which _famiglie_ needed to be kept under surveillance, how to inspire and acquire subordinates, and more, but the hitman could not teach the spoiled brat the characteristics that the Ninth wanted to see in the tenth generation's boss: a strong will, a perceptive mind, and a kind heart. Those traits were learned not taught. And the brat had yet to learn even one of those traits. But the brat's idiocy made up only part of the reason that the poor trees were becoming splinters.

The real issue lay in the fact that the hitman had seen those traits in the brat's twin. Not only in the last few hours as the boy saved his friend and outwitted the brat's subordinates, but over the last couple of months. If the hitman forced himself to be honest, the traits had stood out in contrast to the brat's selfishness and cowardly behavior from the beginning, but Reborn had ignored them. He had not wanted to see that the rejected twin had any worth, that the Ninth might have chosen the wrong. But Reborn couldn't overlook the truth, not when it had done a jig right in the front of the hitman's face and torn all his plans to pieces. Nevertheless, the truth didn't change a thing. Reborn had his orders.

The Vongola boss had had to pick one of the twins. The left over twin was to be left alone and remain unconnected to the mafia as possible, per the agreement that the Ninth had made with Iemitsu. The outside advisor had wanted his darling wife to have one of her sons near her, since she was being forced to give up the other to a life of heavy responsibility and constant danger. So when the CEDEF leader had suggested his youngest, the ninth had taken the CEDEF leader's advice and chosen Tamaki. That decision could not be undone. Reborn took out his pistol and shot. A large clearing now smoked in front of him. The hitman hated being cornered and swore that he would make the CEDEF leader pay for his stupidity. Iemitsu had doomed Vongola to another generation of blood and violence.

Leon squeaked, and Reborn loosened his grip on the chameleon who had shifted back to his lizard form. As the grip eased, the chameleon quickly crawled onto Reborn's shoulder and flicked a tongue at the infant's nose. Reborn gave his faithful companion a small smile and petted the green head. The chameleon dodged Reborn's hand and shifted into a butterfly. With his now tiny head, Leon motioned for Reborn to follow. Reborn blinked, surprise at Leon's sudden action, but gave his partner a small nod. Leon shifted again, now into a sparrow, and flew through the thoroughly damaged trees at an amazing speed. Reborn hurried to keep up with the green bird.

The bird flew out of the forest and into the city of Namimori itself. Reborn mentally marked where he had exited from so that he could return and fix the damage with his sun flames before anyone noticed. He followed his partner several blocks into the city. A white building with a red cross came into view directly ahead, and Reborn's pace slowed. Leon noticed and chirped what could be called encouragement. The hitman gripped his fedora, indulging himself and pulling it down to cover his eyes. Leon chirped again, shifting into a hummingbird and flying under the fedora and into the hitman's face. Backing up a slightly to keep the beak from going into his eye, Reborn shook his head so subtly that few would have caught the movement. Humming loudly, the bird flew in the direction of the hospital and entered it.

"What're you doing here at this time of night?" asked a voice Reborn instantly labeled as Yamamoto Takeshi, the baseball player, the born hitman, and the boy who hung around the so-called weakling. "You lost?"

"No," said Reborn sharply.

"Oh, so you're going to the hospital too. I'll give you a ride if you want."

The smiling face filled Reborn's vision as the baseball player bent to pick the hitman up. For the first time in a long time, Reborn felt the situation slip completely out of his control as the teen placed the hitman on a broad shoulder and hurried to the hospital. Reborn could tell that teen had been running; the baseball player's breathing was heavy and hard. The baseball player kept a fast pace, but he held back to keep from knocking Reborn off his shoulder. They entered the hospital, and one of the nurses came up to them.

"Good morning," she said. "Are you here to visit someone?"

"Yes. A friend of mine," said the baseball player with a showman's smile. "I found this little guy outside, but I think he's here to visit someone too."

"Really? I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but he's too young to go into the higher floors. You have to be older than thirteen—"

"Aw, but the little guy came all this way to visit. You should let him through. I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

"It's for the child's health. There are some diseases that are—"

"Let us through," said Reborn, his voice dropping to an octave that his form should render impossible. The nurse startled and leaned forward to take a closer look at Reborn. An intense aura leaked from the hitman, causing the nurse to back away.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," the nurse said, getting away from the two. "Y-you can g-go. J-just stay out of trouble."

"Alright! Thanks a lot!" said Yamamoto, lifting a hand to wave to the nurse. "So, kid, which room you headed for?"

"Whatever room you're going to," said Reborn, earning a confused look from the baseball player.

"Does that mean you're here to visit Gokudera too?" Reborn nodded, and the baseball player grinned. "I didn't know Gokudera had a younger brother."

"He doesn't," said Reborn. "I'm the one who invited him to Japan."

"Really? That's pretty amazing for a kid. Alright, he's on the fourth floor."

Reborn smirked, but he didn't correct the teen. The hitman did appear to be nothing more than an infant at present, and he respected the boy enough to let the mistake slide. They went to the fourth floor and entered a private room.

"Takeshi, you're back," said the wea—Dame-Tsuna, a smile stretching across his face. The boy stiffened as he saw Reborn. "R-Reborn, w-what're y-you d-doing h-here?"

"Visiting the future right hand man of the Vongola tenth," the hitman answered. Reborn wished that those words were true, for more reasons than one. "I have to wonder how he ended up in the hospital."

The former weakling shuffled guiltily, and Reborn almost regretted the verbal barb. This twin could not be blamed for the young Mafioso's current situation. The blame lay on the other twin (and on Reborn). But the former weakling could not be allowed to know that.

"You know this kid, Tsuna?" asked the baseball player.

"Yes," said Reborn. "I'm his brother's tutor."

"Tamaki has a tutor? I didn't know that."

"I-it's m-my f-fault," said Tsuna. Reborn tilted his fedora up and watched as the boy's the normally clear eyes darkened. The hitman never hid from the consequences of his actions. "H-he g-got h-hurt p-protecting me."

"Good," said Reborn, startling the two teens and feigning indifference. "He's taking his job seriously."

"No it's not!" exclaimed Tsuna. "Gokudera shouldn't throw away his life to protect mine."

"He didn't," said Reborn, cursing thrice over Iemetsu's stupidity. But the hitman couldn't leave the small brunette boy like this. "He's still breathing."

"But he could have died!" said Tsuna. "And…"

"Tsuna," said the baseball player, breaking the short silence, "Gokudera wouldn't want you to be sad that he saved you. Though I think that he might be mad that you saved him back."

"He doesn't want to save me," whispered Tsuna, almost too low to be heard. Something squirmed around the boy's neck.

"Hey, Tsuna, do you know you've got a snake around your neck?" asked the baseball player.

"U-um, y-yes," said the petite brunette, reaching up to touch the reptile. The snake lifted its head to meet the boy's hand and blinked familiar yellow eyes at Reborn.

"I didn't know you like snakes," said the baseball player, grinning brightly.

"I-I don't," said Tsuna. He smiled gently as Leon rubbed against his face. "But this one's warm."

"Of course. He's mine," said Reborn. "And he's not a snake either."

"H-he's n-not a s-snake?" asked Tsuna.

"Then what is it?" asked the baseball player.

"So what's wrong with him?" asked Reborn. The two teens exchanged looks. Tsuna was the first to turn away.

"The d-doctor s-said h-he's in a c-coma," said Tsuna. The small brunette straightened. "Reborn, I h-have a r-request."

"And what is it?"

"Reborn make Gokudera Tamaki's right hand man."

"I can't do that," said Reborn. The boy's gaze interested more than intimidated the hitman, but Reborn was sure a lesser man would be frozen under its intensity.

"You called him the future right hand man of the Vongola tenth. So why are you saying you can't make him so?"

"Because stupidity is hard to cure," Reborn answered. Under any other circumstances, the comment would have earned confused and slightly indignant sputterings from the weakling, but at present it only earned a steady stare. "I'm here to tutor the spoiled brat. If I had any say, Gokudera Hayato would already be the Vongola tenth's right hand. But I cannot make decisions for the brat."

"B-but," said Tsuna, the steady stare melting into helpless confusion, "why?"

Reborn smirked, amused. It was the first time he had heard the elder twin come close to whining.

"'Tutor' does not mean 'boss,' Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.

"Are you sure you're not related to Gokudera?" asked the baseball player. "He calls Tsuna 'Dame-Tsuna' too."

"Everybody calls him 'Dame-Tsuna,'" said Reborn, making his voice sound as petulant as possible. He wondered what the baseball player would say in response.

"Maybe," said the baseball player. His hazel eyes sharpened. "But Tsuna's not 'dame' at all."

The small brunette looked like he wanted to protest, but one look at the baseball player's face silenced him. As Reborn expected, the bond between the two was already a deep, despite their friendship only being a few weeks old. The cheerful rain had found it sky, and that rain would no longer be moved from that sky. Tsuna broke the gaze and looked towards the unconscious teen on the bed instead. Leon rubbed the boy's cheek, but the sudden anguish on the boy's face didn't disappear.

"I can fix it," said Reborn. The words surprised the hitman as much as the two teens.

"Y-you c-can?" asked Tsuna, hope crawling into the otherwise dark brown eyes. Reborn nodded. Tsuna stood from his chair and bowed. "P-please. P-Please h-help G-Gokudera-san."

Leon's yellow eyes caught Reborn's obsidian. Reborn nodded again. Leon shifted back into a chameleon, startling the teen out of his bow.

"H-hieee! W-what's he doing!" asked Tsuna. Leon licked Tsuna's cheek in obvious affection and leapt accurately onto Reborn's hand.

"Dame-Tsuna, I told you he wasn't a snake."

"So what is it?" asked the baseball player.

"This is my partner, Leon. He's a chameleon," said Reborn. Leon lifted himself higher as the two teens stared at him curiously. After the two had gotten a good look, Reborn jumped from the baseball player's shoulder onto Tsuna's head and then onto the unconscious bomber's bed. "Now leave everything to Dr. Reborn and get out."

"I can't leave you here alone, kid. I said I would keep you out of trouble," said the baseball player. Fortunately, Reborn found the taller teen more amusing than annoying, or the baseball player would be full of holes by now.

"Takeshi," said Tsuna. He grabbed the baseball player and pulled the taller teen towards the door. "It's okay. Gokudera'll be alright."

The baseball player gave the smaller brunette a speculative look before grinning again.

"If you say so, Tsuna," said taller teen, following Tsuna out the door. Reborn gripped his hat once more. He pushed away unwanted observations and focused on his patient, but the task was far from easy. Reborn hated to see so much potential wasted.

* * *

><p>The world spun, and the young Mafioso could not analyze his surroundings. He lay as still as possible and waited for the world to stop moving. Finally, the dizziness left his mind. He groaned and sat up.<p>

"You're awake!" said a cheerful voice from beside him. A bright smile filled his vision.

"T-tenth?" he asked, disoriented.

"No," said the smile, slowly fading away. "It's Tsuna."

"Dame-Tsuna?" he asked, his head clearing further. Gokudera forced himself to focus and check the copy for injuries. If the bomber were feeling better, he would do a further check, but on the surface there were no injuries. "What happened?"

"You're in the hospital," said the copy. Gokudera snorted. As if the bomber didn't know that.

"How'd I get here?"

"Takeshi and I brought you here after you were shot."

"Don't you know how to give a simple report," growled Gokudera. He flinched at the sudden pain, but he continued to interrogate the copy. "What the heck happened to the idiot shooting at us?"

"H-he…h-he l-left," said the idiot copy, averting his eyes. Gripping the blanket on his lap, Gokudera resisted the urge to punch the copy. The stupid copy was lying again.

"Yo, I'm back," said the baseball idiot, entering the room without any regards for the situation. "So you're up, Gokudera? That didn't take long. The kid's prayers must've worked."

"What are you talking about, baseball idiot?" asked Gokudera. The baseball freak had only been in the room for few seconds, and he was already asking to be blown to smithereens.

"The kid who's Ta—"

"How are you feeling, Gokudera-san?" asked the stupid copy, running over the baseball idiot's words. Having had more than enough of the baseball idiot, Gokudera did a quick mental check of his own injuries. All injuries were on the last stage of healing. Having been beat down since he was a young child, Gokudera knew very well how his body healed, and he should not have been this far along right after waking.

"Baseball idiot," said Gokudera.

"What? Do you need help answering Tsuna's question? Want me to get a nurse?" said the baseball idiot.

"What kid were you talking about?" demanded Gokudera, ignoring the baseball idiot's stupidity.

"Oh, that kid. He said he wasn't a relative of yours. He was playing at being Tsuna's bro—"

"It was Reborn," said the idiot copy, interrupting the baseball idiot again. "He came to heal you since you're going to be the Vongola tenth's right hand man."

"Reborn-san was here!" said Gokudera. He could barely believe that _the_ Reborn had healed him. "Did the tenth come with him?"

"Nope," said the baseball idiot with that stupid grin. "Tamaki probably wouldn't even care that you're sick."

"Takeshi!" cried the stupid copy. Gokudera didn't want to hear the words, but he couldn't get away from their truth. But they were only true because the tenth wasn't convinced about the bomber's loyalty yet. When he was, the tenth would make sure that his right hand man survived all his battles.

"So now that you're better, maybe Tsuna could finally go home," said the baseball idiot. He threw an arm around the copy. "He's been here since you first came to the hospital, and his mom's worried about him."

"Che," said Gokudera, turning away from the two idiots to hide his blush. "Like anyone asked him to."

"Your mom sent this," said the baseball idiot. He held up a bento that Gokudera had failed to notice earlier. The bomber cursed his weakened body and tried to pay more attention to his surroundings. A lapse of attention had ended up with him in the hospital and nearly cost the copy his life. Gokudera could not let it happen again.

"Thanks," said the copy as he took the bento. "Are you hungry, Gokudera?"

"I just woke up from a coma," said Gokudera. "What do you think, Dame Tsuna?"

"That you're hungry," the copy said. He placed the bento gently on Gokudera's lap. "It should be really good today."

"I don't want it. Last time you said that it tasted worse."

"Worse?" The stupid copy's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Why would I lie!" As if he needed to lie about something so stupid. The tenth's mother was a genius cook, but even geniuses failed sometimes. Besides, the food had tasted as the gift from heaven that it was, but it was just a little off that time. A little less than perfection.

"N-no. I-I'm not saying that," said the copy. His whole face turned red as the copy tried to hide it under that mess of hair. "I thought it would taste better."

"Whatever. I don't want to eat it."

"Now, now," said the baseball idiot. "Tsuna gave it to you, and you should eat it."

"Fine, but only because I will not do anything to offend the tenth's mother," said Gokudera. Opening the bento, he took a bite. As expected, the tenth's mother's food was wonderful, but it had a different taste than usual. It was off somehow. The difference was slight, and if he had not grown up training himself to detect small changes in food (his sister's poison cooking sometimes tasted very like normal cooking and his life depended on him knowing the difference), he might not have been able to note it. But it was there, and he had to admit that while her regular bentos were unequaled, this one didn't cut it. Thinking back, the last time he had tasted a bento like this one had been a day where the copy had come in half dead from a session with Reborn. The tenth's mother had probably been worried about the no-good copy when she had made it, and since the copy had stayed at the hospital overnight, she must have been worried when she made this one too. The stupid copy had no right to cause the tenth's wonderful mother so much trouble.

"Alright, Tsuna, time to go home," said the baseball idiot. The copy shook his head.

"I want to stay here until Gokudera-san can leave."

"Tsuna." The name came out like sigh, nearly causing Gokudera to choke on his rice. He hadn't known the baseball player could take such a tone, and the stupid grin was even gone from the idiot's face. "You need to go home."

"I will, I promise. But I want to be sure that Gokudera-san's going to be okay first."

"The kid prayed for him. He'll be fine," said the baseball idiot. He put on a grin, but Gokudera could tell the baseball idiot was trying too hard. Pleading hazel eyes turned towards the bomber. "Right, Gokudera?"

Gokudera wanted to snap at the baseball idiot that it was none of the idiot's business, but one glance at the smaller brunette made Gokudera pause. The stupid copy had bags under his eyes, and his skin was pale.

"You heard the baseball idiot," said Gokudera.

"I know. But I just want to be sure…"

Gokudera flipped his chopsticks and poked the stupid copy in the forehead.

"O-ow," said the copy, rubbing his forehead.

"Who said you could doubt Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked. "Get out. I'm sick of seeing your pathetic expression on the tenth's face."

"B-but..."

"I said get out!" yelled Gokudera. He ignored the pain the cry cost him and glared at the copy. The copy's expression changed from concerned to something worse, but the copy stood.

"We'll be back later. Is that alright, Gokudera-san?"

"Do whatever you want," he said, returning to the bento. Gokudera watched from the corner of his eye as the copy and the baseball player left.

"See you later, Gokudera!" said the baseball idiot, waving like the idiot he was. "And thanks!"

"Don't thank me!" Gokudera growled. The baseball idiot merely widened his grin and pushed the confused copy out the door. Gokudera continued to eat, but the food didn't taste as good anymore. Something his sister said came to mind. No matter how much the food was made with love, it's useless if the company isn't as loving. The bomber scoffed. The absence of those two idiots could not affect his taste buds. His injuries were messing with his head. The bomber focused on his meal. He would enjoy the tenth's mother's cooking no matter how ill he felt. He glared at the door, and then back at the bento. He ate as much of the food as his body needed and then closed the bento. He could eat the leftovers later. When the two idiots returned, he would give them an empty bento, even if he had to eat it in the two's presence. He owed it to the tenth's mother.


	7. Strength in Unexpected Places

Chapter 7: Strength in Unexpected Places

Using several rapid slashes, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi cut through the tuna. He grinned as the perfectly sliced fish fell back on the plate. A faint creak came from the entrance, and Tsuyoshi immediately changed the grip on the knife.

"Welcome to Takesushi!" he called out, though judging by the sound of the footsteps, Takeshi was back with that boy he'd grown so attached to.

"Hi, dad!" said Takeshi. The strange look on the teen's face caught Tsuyoshi's attention, though the sushi chef knew no one else would notice the difference. "I brought Tsuna with me."

"Oh? Did you come for some sushi for your friend in the hospital?"

"No. Tsuna already gave Gokudera a bento. We came to eat some sushi."

"I didn't know I raised such a greedy brat," said Tsuyoshi with a grin. He was glad his son brought over friends so often lately. His boy never used to bring anyone over, despite the fact that he was always surrounded by friends in his baseball games. The three Takeshi had started bringing over must be special to the teen, especially the Sawada boy with him now.

"I'm only greedy when it comes to sushi and baseball," said Takeshi with a grin that reflected his old man's. "Can I get some of the blue fin tuna for Tsuna?"

"Fine, but you have to prepare it." The older Yamamoto liked when his son helped out in the shop. Tsuyoshi got a special enjoyment out of seeing his son hold a blade, even a mere sushi knife. One day, his son would become a master swordsman. One day, but not yet. The boy was still too wrapped up in baseball and student life to have the time or dedication the Shigure Soen Ryu required. Complying with his old man's request, the boy hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the knife that he was most acquainted with and started slicing the tuna. The display held none of the finesse of Tsuyoshi's earlier knife work, but it held a pleasing strength and raw technique.

"Here you go Tsuna," said Takeshi as he handed the other boy the finished sushi. "It's not as good as my dad's yet, but I hope you like it anyway."

"Thank you," said the smaller boy as he took a piece. Tsuyoshi wasn't certain, but the smaller brunette's smile seemed to lack its usual brightness. Made sense though. That would account for Takeshi's strange look.

"Hey dad," said Takeshi. Tsuyoshi nodded, indicating he was listening as the older man pretended to focus on the sushi he was preparing. He had recognized the look in his son's eyes, a sharp look that conveyed a fierce determination. His son was about to say what Tsuyoshi had been waiting to hear since the first time the boy had first held a knife. "I want to learn swordsmanship."

"W-what are you talking about?" asked the smaller brunette. "Why do you suddenly want to learn—?"

"You want to get stronger too, don't you, Tsuna?" asked Takeshi, giving the smaller brunette a soft smile that was very different from his regular grin. Tsuyoshi had never seen Takeshi smile like that to anyone besides his mother. "That's what you were thinking the whole time in the hospital."

"I-I w-wasn't…," the smaller brunette started, but one look into Takeshi's eyes stopped him. "I was. If I was stronger, Gokudera-san wouldn't have gotten hurt. I…I'm worthless…"

"I know," said Takeshi. The other boy's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and hurt crossed over the smaller brunette's features. If Tsuyoshi didn't know his son so well, the man would scold Takeshi for such careless words. But the older Yamamoto knew that wouldn't be necessary. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Y-you were?"

"Yes. That's why I've decided to get stronger. How am I going to help Gokudera stay away from Tamaki if I don't?"

The smaller boy flinched, the words striking a cord somewhere. He looked up wearily at Takeshi.

"H-he's n-not that b-bad. N-not a-always."

Takeshi's eyes became hard, and Tsuyoshi realized who the two were discussing. Tsuyoshi had to agree with his son. The other Sawada boy was dangerous, though not as an opponent. That child had the ability to destroy easily and used it carelessly. Sawada Tamaki should be kept away from everyone.

"You want to protect Gokudera, don't you?" Not many would catch the plea in the question, but Tsuyoshi was the boy's father and heard it easily. The Sawada boy seemed to catch it too.

"I do," the smaller boy said firmly, though his expression quickly returned to something much more vulnerable than confusion. "But I don't know if I can."

"That's why we're going to train," said Takeshi, his bright grin back on his face. "And Dad's going to help us."

"I am, am I?" said Tsuyoshi, enjoying his son's determination. "I don't recall agreeing to teach you."

"But you said you would when I was serious. And we're very serious," said Takeshi. The smaller brunette stood from where he had been sitting and bowed right in front of Tsuyoshi.

"Please teach us, Yamamoto-san."

Tsuyoshi had never thought that he would even consider taking on two students, not after what happened between Keichi and their sensei. But Tsuyoshi knew all too well by the fact that his son mirrored the bow beside the other boy that it was either two students or none.

"Fine. Come with me," he said finally. He would teach, but it would be up to the two whether they would learn the Shigure Soen Ryu.

* * *

><p>The answers were all wrong. Again.<p>

"Nice to see you were paying attention during class," said Hana, as she handed the papers back to the two boys in the desks across from hers. The two had the decency to look ashamed, but she knew that they wouldn't change their ways if she didn't get serious with them. "I think I'm going to start charging again for my services."

"That bad, huh," said Takeshi.

"Yes, that bad," said Hana. "I let you boys take a break for one week, while that idiot monkey recovers, and now you guys can't catch up for anything. Instead you've been falling farther and farther behind. I'm starting to think that you aren't even trying."

"S-sorry, Hana-chan," said Tsuna. He rubbed the back of his head, imitating the taller brunette, while cringing away from her. The picture the brunette made would make most want to reassure him, but Hana had had enough.

"Now you either tell me what's going or fork over 3,000 yen," she said.

"3-3,000 yen!" cried Tsuna. "B-but it was only 1,500 yen—"

"Take it or leave it. You guys are up to something, and I will not be left in the dark."

"W-we're n-not u-up t-to a-anything. W-what m-makes y-you t-think—"

"You come every day with injuries. You're falling asleep in class constantly. And most importantly, you haven't gotten single answer right without help in three days," said Hana, holding up the completely incorrect papers.

Takeshi chuckled. "Looks like we've been found out."

"Yes, you have," said Hana, annoyed as much by the baseball player's laughter as by the dejected look on Tsuna's face. But she refused to give in. She wouldn't hang around with lying monkeys.

"It's not a big secret, but Tsuna didn't want to worry you," said Takeshi. Hana frowned, and Tsuna hid his eyes behind his wild hair. "We've been training with my old man."

"Training? For what?" Hana demanded, her temper getting the better of her. "What is it about guys that makes them think like monkeys? Just because the idiot monkey got hurt protecting Tsuna, which he admits he did only to impress the monkey king, does not mean you have to buff up and make yourselves more of a challenge for the next idiot who comes along and threatens you. Irie-kun's gone off to Europe for a while to show off his box since he understand it now thanks to various hospital visits to the stupid monkey. There's no real reason for something as extreme as training so much that your studies suffer."

"I guess you can say tha—," said Takeshi.

"No," said Tsuna, in that tone that made others go quiet. His eyes came out from behind their curtain of hair. The look made Hana catch her breath. She could almost swear those eyes were glowing orange. "We're not just doing it to fight. We want to be able to protect our friends. We want to become strong enough so that what happens to Gokudera never happens to anyone we care about ever again." The two stared at him, causing his eyes to lose intensity and the small brunette to fidget. "I-I promise we won't fight if no one tries to hurt our friends…"

"Really?" said Hana. She would like to fight them more on this, but Tsuna was surprisingly stubborn when he used that tone. "I guess I'll have to content myself with that then. Nothing I say will change your minds, will it?"

"Nope," said Takeshi, slinging his arm to its preferred place around Tsuna's shoulder. "It's just like Tsuna said."

"So what kind of training is it?"

"My old man's a master swordsman," said Takeshi in a tone he usually reserved for baseball related topics. His arm left Tsuna's shoulder and turned into an excited fist pump. "The first time we trained, he didn't use any protective covering, but we couldn't lay a scratch on him."

"So he's teaching you how to wield a sword. Not very practical," said Hana. As weapons went, swords were one of the most obvious and bulky.

"That's okay because my old man's Shigure Soen Ryu is unbeatable."

"And how do you know that?"

"My old man said so."

"Figures," said Hana. She had gotten far too used to the baseball player's unreasonable logic. "And how's the training in this unbeatable style going?"

"Pretty good," said Takeshi before scratching the back of his head. "I'm stuck on the ninth form. I don't quite get what Dad's talking about when we got to that one."

"And you," said Hana to the quieter brunette. Tsuna stiffened before hiding behind his hair again.

"Oh, Tsuna's not learning the Shigure Soen Ryu," said Takeshi pretty casually, though he gave the other boy a quick glance. "Dad said he's not made for swords."

"Not very surprising," said Hana. The idea of the short brunette swinging around a sword sounded like a bad idea all around. But then so did the idea of Tsuna fighting period.

"Yeah, Dad said a sword weighs him down and he's too scared to use it."

"Again, not surprising. With his klutz attacks, he might just as well end up chopping off his own arm as taking his opponent out."

"No, that's not it," said Takeshi. A special affection filled the words. "Dad says that Tsuna's too scared about hurting his opponent more than he has to so he makes his attacks too weak."

"I see," said Hana. The smaller brunette was that endearing red again. "So what is he doing instead?"

"He's learning to fight me barehanded."

"Barehanded? But isn't that..." The proud grin on Yamamoto's face stopped her words short. She sighed. Sometimes, these two were worse to deal with than all the other monkeys in class combined. "That explains why he has twice as many injuries as you."

"Yep. But Dad's really impressed. He said he only suggested it to see what Tsuna's real power was, because he figured Tsuna wouldn't hold back if he was just fighting with his hands instead of a weapon, but then Tsuna did some really cool things, and so Dad decided to train Tsuna to fight barehanded. My old man's not an expert at fighting barehanded, but he says that a swordsman still needs to defend himself even if he's lost his sword, so he knows a little. He's training Tsuna in basic hand-to-hand."

"Basic hand-to-hand fighting," she said. The idea sounded off and yet right at the same time. "And how's that going, Tsuna?"

"It's going okay," said Tsuna quietly, still red as a tomato.

"It has to be going better than 'okay' if you want to use it as an excuse for your horrible work the last few days," said Hana. She hated when the small brunette undersold himself. "If you're using it as an excuse for your terrible work the last few days, you better be doing great."

"He is," said Takeshi. "Dad said he's going to have to call in a favor to get him a better trainer."

"He doesn't have to do that," said Tsuna, indulging in that horrible habit again. "I can barely block your moves and I haven't landed a hit on you."

"Yeah, but I couldn't hit _you_ yesterday," said Takeshi, pride in his voice. "Dad said that you've come a really long way in just three weeks."

"He meant yo—."

"Nah. He said both of us, and Dad wouldn't say it unless he meant it."

"Not that I wouldn't love to keep hearing about what Yamamoto-san did or didn't say," said Hana, putting an end to what could easily become an endless argument. "But what I'd really like to know is where the idiot monkey has gotten to. The hospital did release him a week or so ago, so why hasn't he been in class?"

The two looked at each in that growingly infuriating way.

"W-we're not exactly sure," said Tsuna. "Gokudera-san saw us training with Yamamoto-san and ran off."

"Dad said," Takeshi started, earning him a sigh from Hana. If she ever needed an example of a son idolizing his father, she would know right where to go. "Dad said that Gokudera probably wanted to get stronger too."

"And the idiot monkey went off to train somewhere then," said Hana. "I can't say I miss his idiotic presence. He's dangerous simply standing there polluting the air with those stupid cigarettes. It'll be easier to focus without him. And you guys are going to need all the focus you can get, because I'm not letting your grades fall behind. I worked too hard to let your grades fall back to where they were. I don't like my work to go to waste."

The two looked properly terrified at that statement, and Hana grinned.

"Let's begin, boys."

* * *

><p>"So which ones mine?"<p>

"The shorter one. I told you I'm training my son myself. He's got quite the gift for swords you know," said Tsuyoshi as they watched the two boys do strength training. Takeshi lifted his 65lb weights with little effort while Tsuna struggled to stay upright under his 40lb ones. "I admit he doesn't look like much, but he's pretty surprising. I only took him on at first to please Takeshi who's strongly attached to him, but the more I train him, the more I find myself wishing I was better at hand to hand combat so that I could continue teaching him. But it's not my forte, so I called you."

"I believe you," said his friend. "Someone who caught the eye of the former Akai Shigure would have to be someone interesting."

"Thanks for coming all this way, old friend. I know that you do not like to be too far from home."

"Home is where the heart is," said the martial artist. "And my heart is currently running around here in Japan."

"Ah, that sweet little disciple you mentioned is here on assignment then," said Tsuyoshi. "The Triad sure is starting them earlier and earlier."

"Yes. But I hope that my influence as her master might persuade her to abandon the mission for a while. There is young, and then there is too young."

"She could stay here," said Tsuyoshi, his grin as serious as his eyes. "In return for training my son's friend, I mean."

His friend's lips quirked upward into his characteristic gentle smile. "But that wouldn't be calling in a favor."

"There don't need to be favors between friends," answered Tsuyoshi.

"Then I will tell you that while I would be relieved beyond words to accept your offer, I cannot stay too long. The Triad expects me back soon."

"Not necessarily. There may not be favors between friends, but there certainly are between associates. I believe the head of the Triad owes me a favor or two. Keeping you here for a while might satisfy that debt."

Tsuyoshi enjoyed the surprise on his friend's face. Not many could get such a reaction from the renowned martial artist.

"Then it's settled," continued Tsuyoshi before his friend recovered sufficiently enough to disagree. "Let's go meet your new student."

* * *

><p>The two boys stopped their strength training as soon as they realized that they had company.<p>

"Is it time to start sparring already?" asked Tsuyoshi's son, an eager grin stretching across his face.

"Not yet, Takeshi," said Tsuyoshi. "I brought the friend I talked about over to meet Tsuna."

"Really where is he?" asked Tsuyoshi's son, looking around excitedly. The smaller brunette pulled on the young swordsman's sleeve discretely and pointed straight at where the martial artist stood next to Tsuyoshi. The taller boy scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there."

"That's quite alright. It would have been embarrassing for me to be noticed so easily by someone of your level," said the martial artist.

"Hm? But Tsuna noticed you right away."

"Yes, I saw," said the martial artist, looking the smaller boy with new eyes. Tsuyoshi was right. The boy was not what he seemed, though it might be hard to discern especially when the boy blushed and all but hid behind the young swordsman.

"Takeshi, don't be so blunt with your elders," Tsuyoshi scolded. "Now it is my pleasure to introduce my old friend, Fon. Fon, this is my son Takeshi and his friend Tsuna."

"Nice to meet you," the two boys said in unison, though the smaller bowed deeply while the taller barely tilted forward.

"Nice to meet you as well," said Fon, returning the bows with one of his own. "If I may, I would like to evaluate my potential student."

"That's fine," said Tsuyoshi. "I have to see how my son's ninth form is coming along."

"If you say so," said the younger swordsman, all his former eagerness gone. The smaller brunette, Tsuna caught Takeshi's eyes and smiled. The tension went out of the taller boy's shoulders, and the young swordsman returned the smile. "See you later, Tsuna."

The brunette's calm, sweet smile curdled into a more strained one as father and son left the dojo. Fon waited, observing how Tsuna would react to the situation. As a master of martial arts, Fon had learned that the first few minutes with a student could determine a lot about how the relationship between the teacher and student would go. So far, the boy had stood frozen in front of Fon. The brunette did not move to sit, did not ask what they would do now, made no suggestions about what they could do, did not try to impress Fon, and most importantly did not wonder out loud what an _infant_ could possibly have to teach him. So this student was not confident, curious, intelligent, proud, or ignorant. But Fon couldn't tell if the inaction indicated fear or respect, or if the look on the boy's face meant that the boy was patient, confused, or lazy.

"You may call me Fon-sensei," said Fon, deciding to take the first step. "I'd appreciate it if you never call me master or Master Fon. Only one person has permission to call me that. I mean no offense, but I made a promise long ago that a student could only call me master if that person was to be a lifelong disciple of mine, and as I explained to Tsuyoshi-san, I can only train you for a short amount of time."

"H-how l-long?" The boy asked. The stuttering would explain why the boy had not spoken earlier.

"Perhaps a year, but not more," said Fon. "I will do what I can to help you grow between now and then."

"T-thank y-you," said the boy. His smile reminded Fon of another's, but with more innocence and honesty. Luce would love to meet this boy, if only to see such a smile on another person.

"Let us begin then. Come at me with all you have."

The boy nodded and threw himself at Fon without hesitation. Fon easily dodged, and the boy spun to take another swing. Using the momentum from his dodge, Fon jumped out of the boy's reach. The boy showed neither despair nor surprise at the martial artist's speed. Instead the boy pushed with his legs harder to try to match it. He did not come close, but the try itself held promise. Fon continued to dodge the boy's blows with minimal effort and watched in interest as the blows became sharper and more purposeful instead of sloppier and more desperate. At one point, the boy threw a fist at Fon as the martial artist came to a corner of the room, forcing Fon to jump up in order to avoid it. The martial artist almost didn't see the second punch headed for his head, but he ducked his head under the fist and used the arm's thrust to flip the boy over on the martial artist's back. The boy struggled back onto his feet, pulling another fist back.

"Enough," said Fon. As if the word had cut the strings that had been holding the boy upright, the brunette slumped into an exhausted pile on the floor. The boy's breathing worried Fon since the gulps of air sounded painful and heavy. He planned to let the boy lay there until the small brunette recovered, but the boy clenched his teeth and evened his breaths by force. He then pushed himself, struggling to get himself upright, and after one or two attempts, the boy had propped his body up in a crooked, sloppy version of the Japanese seiza.

"How…was…I?" the boy asked in between deep breaths.

"You have little to no stamina," said Fon, the words surprising him. Nothing in the training spar had let on that the boy was pushing himself past his limits. Tsuyoshi had been more than right. In the last few moments, the boy had stunned Fon not once but twice. The boy took the words harder than Fon meant them and bowed his head to hide his face.

"I-I kn-know," he whispered. "I-I'm s-sorry. I-I've b-been t-trying t-to f-fix i-it, b-but Y-Yamamoto-san w-wanted m-me t-to w-wait f-for y-you."

"You expend too much power at once," said Fon, further analyzing the spar. "And you currently don't have that much power to begin with, so you are expending from your reserves, which leaves you with no energy whatsoever. However, you direct your swings well, despite the fact that your punches still lack finesse. And you did a good job at reading your opponents. You did time that punch so that I would jump into the other one, did you not?"

"I-I t-thought t-that i-if I b-backed y-you i-into a c-corner, i-it m-might w-work."

Fon stared at his new student. The boy had backed the martial artist into the corner on purpose. Since Fon had become a martial art master, no one had guided his movements in such a manner, let alone without him noticing. Tsuyoshi might prove to be more right than even the experienced swordsman knew.


	8. Teachers

Chapter 8: _Teachers_

Running at top speed, the tiny assassin followed the directions the kind but ugly girl had given. The house where the assassin's target resided lay two blocks ahead. I-pin could sense it, though she couldn't see much more than blurs. He had gotten away from her at that school (what was a business man doing at a school?), but he wouldn't get away now. The assassin slowed down and walked towards the door at a more normal pace. The boss said that assassins should look as normal as possible so that they are never suspected until after the target's demise. In an attempt at normality, the assassin rang the doorbell and waited.

"Well aren't you cute," said a woman who opened the door. She was ugly too. "Are you a friend of Reborn's? He hasn't had anyone over since that cute little boy in the cow suit. I was worried that since the little cow suit boy hasn't come over again Reborn would feel lonely. Come in, come in. He'll be along in a minute."

The assassin's brow furrowed. The words made little to no sense, and the assassin wondered what should be the next course of action. Should the woman be allowed to think whatever she did or should she be told a lie? Considering the assassin's Japanese skills, the woman would probably be fooled more by her own thoughts that a badly worded lie.

"Hai," the assassin said in as Japanese an accent as possible. It still sounded too harsh.

"Would you like some snacks while you wait for Reborn?" asked the woman.

I-pin shook her head. The name Reborn sounded familiar, but the assassin had one focus at the moment. The target must be eliminated. At that moment, the target came down the stairs. The assassin readied her stance but waited until the woman left the room. Her master said that it was dishonorable to kill the target in the front of innocent witnesses, even though the boss said they could be silenced later.

"Oh, Reborn, I was just going to find you. Someone's here to visit you," said the woman to the figure on the stairs. The name confused the assassin. The assassin couldn't remember what the target's name was exactly, but wasn't it more Japanese? Another figure, a small child leapt off the target's head right before the target tumbled down the stairs. So the name belonged to the child then.

"I wasn't expecting any visitors, _Mamma_," said the child. The assassin wondered how to get the target away from the other two.

"That hurt! You don't have to kick me!" cried the target, lifting his head. He stared at the assassin before growling. "You again! Get out!"

"Tamaki! That's no way to treat a guest!" said the woman. The assassin ignored the woman's undecipherable words.

"_You'll pay for what you have done. How dare you mock Master's Gyoza-Ken!"_ said the assassin in Chinese, giving in to the urge to defend the master. The assassin only wished that the last time the target had mocked the Gyoza-Ken that she would have defended it instead of becoming embarrassed.

"He says he's here to kill you," lied the child named Reborn.

"It's so nice to see you playing with the kids, Tamaki, but if I don't get to work soon, I'll never get dinner done by the time Tsu-kun comes back," said the woman, finally leaving the room. The assassin decided that now was as good a time as any to take the target out, since the child didn't seem fazed by the assassin's words. Taking a bite of a gyoza bun, the assassin took a deep breath and blew out. The target covered his nose.

"I'm not falling for that again," said the target in a funny, high-pitched voice. The assassin almost wanted to laugh but felt somewhat helpless. The targets usually didn't know the secret of Gyoza-Ken, and so they never covered their nose. But this one did, and the assassin didn't know what to do now. "Ha! Not so smart without your stinky kenpou! Wait 'til my men get here! They'll take you out!"

"A boss shouldn't rely on his men so much," said the child as he kicked the target in the head.

"I'm home," said a voice from behind the assassin. In one movement, the assassin turned around and slammed the person at the entrance into the ground. The target started laughing loudly.

"One step through the door and you're already showing your true colors, Dame-Tsuna," said the target, laughing even louder. The assassin took a good look at the person struggling to get up off the floor and gasped. He looked exactly like the target. Confused, the assassin back and forth between the two possible targets but found no difference to distinguish which should be eliminated. The first target got off the floor and pointed at the second. "You should stay on the floor. It suits yo—ow! Why'd you do that Reborn?"

"Felt like it," said the child, standing on the first target's head as that target lay on the floor again. The second target had gotten upright by leaning against the wall, though he was taking hard, shallow breaths. The second target must be very weak, because the attack the assassin had used was low level.

"W-was t-that G-Gyoza-K-Ken?" asked the second target. The assassin nodded. The second target smiled, and the assassin felt warmer. "Y-you're p-pretty g-good."

"What do you know about martial arts all of a sudden," said the first target, getting up again. "Stop talking like you know what you're talking about."

"Who target?" asked the assassin in a limited broken Japanese.

"U-um…w-well, I-I t-think I-I c-can h-help," said the second.

"And how exactly? As soon as my men come, the problem will be taken care of," said the first.

"Y-your m-men?" asked the second, strangely still at the question.

"Yes, my men. A future mafia boss needs subordinates. Mine'll take care of this menace."

"No!" the second said quickly. "S-she w-was l-looking f-for…f-for m-me. P-please f-forgive h-her."

"You? What, even brats with stinky kenpo want to beat you up now? Fine, it's your funeral," said the first with a smirk. He crossed his arms and gave the other a superior look. "Do as you like, but don't say your brother never offered to help."

The second nodded and grabbed the assassin before the first could say another word. The assassin tried to release the new target's grip, but something was making the assassin's arms heavy and immobilizing the Gyoza Ken user. Eventually, they reached a park where the new target fell more than sat on a bench. The grip loosened, and the assassin immediately leapt onto her feet and into an attack stance with a gyoza bun in hand.

"Why two?" the assassin demanded.

"F-Fon-sensei's l-looking f-for y-you," said the target, causing the assassin to drop the gyoza bun. "Y-you're I-pin, r-right?"

"Know I-pin? How? Master?"

"I-I k-know w-where h-he is," said the strange target. "I-I'll t-take y-you t-to h-him. B-but I-I…n-need…t-to r-rest…"

The last words faded as the boy's head inclined forward. Using Gyoza Ken, I-pin made the boy fall onto the bench rather than the floor. For now, she'd wait to eliminate target until she could confirm the information. Then she would proceed with the mission. Master would surely agree with her reasoning. Her course decided, I-pin sat on the bench and waited for the target to wake up while resisting the urge to play with the target's fluffy brown hair.

* * *

><p>Three weeks had passed, and Tsuna was growing more and more worried. Gokudera's seat had remained empty, though the brunette could sometimes catch glimpses of the bomber guarding from afar. Takeshi, Hana, and Yamamoto-san had agreed that Gokudera would return to lurking from nearby rather than from far away when the bomber was ready, but Tsuna was starting to wonder if they should just wait until then. Tsuna had continued to make the bomber's <em>bento<em> and leave it by the school's gate, where thankfully the small brunette would find it empty later, but Tsuna found himself less and less happy with such limited contact with the hot-tempered teen. Takeshi and Hana didn't like Gokudera's absence either. Tsuna could tell by the way Takeshi would gaze at the empty seat and the glares Hana would send over Tsuna's shoulder where Gokudera usually stood while they studied. So when Tsuna caught sight of silver hair flashing behind a corner, he stopped.

"What is it Tsuna?" asked Takeshi.

"I'm sorry, but could you tell Fon-sensei that I'm going to be late?" asked Tsuna. Takeshi blinked, confused. Tsuna gave the baseball player a reassuring smile.

"Okay," said Takeshi grinning. He added in a whisper, "Get him back."

His smile fading, Tsuna watched as his friend left before turning back to the corner.

"Gokudera-san, please come out."

No movement came from around the corner, and Tsuna bit his lip. Slowly, he headed towards the corner as if approaching a dangerous but wounded animal. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew he had to do it. Gokudera leaned against the alley wall, smoking a cigarette and appearing as if he had been there for a long while.

"What do you want, stupid copy?" asked Gokudera, letting out a huge cloud of smoke.

"W-we've been worried about you," said Tsuna. "W-why haven't you come to school?"

"I have no reason to go to such a useless place."

"B-but," said Tsuna, words failing him as always. Gokudera was right. Every time they studied together, the silver haired teen would finish in three minutes what took even Hana half an hour to do. He had no real reason to go to such a mediocre school. But still…"We miss you."

"So?" said the bomber, blowing out another puff a smoke and hiding his features. "As if hanging out with you idiots is worth it."

"Don't you have to protect me?"

"Che, moron," said Gokudera with a growl. "I would never let the tenth down. I have been guarding the perimeter."

"Oh," said Tsuna as he tried not to frown. "Gokudera-san…are we friends?"

"W-what!" cried the bomber, his cigarette falling to the floor. "W-why would I be friends with a stupid copy!"

"You're friends with Irie-kun."

"I'm not friends with him. He's an associate!"

"But Irie-kun considers you a friend," said Tsuna. He looked straight into the bomber's eyes. "And I do too."

A bright red blush spread across Gokudera's cheeks, startling Tsuna. The bomber quickly looked away, but he didn't manage to hide the growing redness.

"W-who a-asked y-you too!" Gokudera cried. He shoved away from the wall and from Tsuna. "I don't need friends!"

"Don't lie," said Tsuna, surprising them both. The brunette pushed forward. "I-I tried to tell myself that too—that I didn't need friends. Every time I went to school and no one would talk to me, every time Tamaki-san would poke fun at me for being alone, every time I was bullied and called a loser. I had my mother, and sometimes I even had Tamaki-san. I told myself I didn't need anyone else. But—but I couldn't lie. I don't believe lies. I can't. And I would look and see everyone else, and I wished I could believe I didn't need any, because it hurt…it hurt not to have them. My happiest day was the day Hana-chan said I was her friend, and I realized I didn't have to wish or try to believe my stupid lie. I had a friend. And now I'm friends with Takeshi and Irie-kun and you too, Gokudera-san. So you don't have to lie either. Gokudera-san is my friend."

"I-I'm not l-lying!" said Gokudera, the redness far from fading.

"And you're Takeshi and Hana's friend too."

"W-who wants to be friends with a baseball idiot and a wench!"

"Please, Gokudera-san," said Tsuna. He gently and tentatively touched the bomber's shoulder. "Come back to school. Even if you go straight to training or to protecting the perimeter after school, please come to class with us. Friends like to hang out with their friends."

"Hmph! I said you weren't my friends!" said Gokudera, his green eyes looking anywhere but at Tsuna. "B-but if you insist, I'll keep a closer eye on you during school hours. I hate whining, and if you keep doing it, I'll want to kill you myself."

"Thanks Gokudera-san," said Tsuna. He smiled as he headed back towards Takesushi where Fon-sensei was waiting for him. The brunette had no idea how many stares the bright smile on his face received, or how the silver haired teen's face also bore its own small smile.

* * *

><p>"Dad's excited about today."<p>

Hana snorted at the words. If there was anything that could make Takeshi even more irritably excitable than baseball, it was his old man.

"Excited? Why?" asked Tsuna, predictably. The smaller brunette never knew what was going on outside his own world, which seemed to rotate on studying and training with that new sensei of his.

"It's Parent's Day," said Hana flatly. She didn't really care one way or another. Her mother and father came and observed, but the schooling itself didn't change. She wouldn't have to work hard to impress them.

"W-what!" said Tsuna. His face grew pale.

"Hm? Is something wrong Tsuna?" asked Takeshi.

"U-um…I-I h-have to go," he said as he stood from his chair abruptly.

"Go where?" asked Hana.

"T-the b-bathroom! I-I'll b-be r-right b-back!"

"Wait Tsuna!" said Takeshi, but the small brunette was already gone. "He's gotten faster."

"Yes," said Hana. Tsuna's speed had surprised her. "How exactly is his training with that friend of your father's going?"

"I don't know. I'm not allowed to see," said Takeshi. "Dad and Tsuna's master made a bet on who can train their student better, and we aren't allowed to see each other train. We're going to spar in a couple of weeks to see who's stronger."

"Boys," said Hana in a sigh.

"Ah! I forgot to tell Tsuna that Fon-sensei is coming to watch too."

"You'll have to tell him later," said Hana as the warning bell rang. She stood from Kentaro's seat and headed towards her own. "Get to your seat before you find yourself in trouble."

"Yes mam!" said the baseball player with a wide grin. He hurried towards his seat, though he was stopped several times by those idiot fangirls. Tsuna ran into the classroom and tripped, causing the whole class to laugh, but he quickly got up and sat in his seat. The bell rang, and the teacher entered.

"Now be on your best behavior. Your parents are going to be here in ten minutes, but other than that, today will be a normal day. So get your textbooks out and look busy!" said the teacher. The students of 1-B quickly complied. The door opened, and everyone turned to it excitedly. A nervous young man entered. The whole room deflated as the man showed all the signs of being nothing but a teacher's assistant. He headed straight for the teacher and whispered in the teacher's ear. The teacher gasped, and all the students turned towards him as one. "Nezo-sensei did what! When did that happen? A substitute on Parent's Day! How shameful…! But we have no choice. Okay listen up, students."

The teacher blushed as he noticed that the students had been listening to his distraught rant.

"Nezo-sensei has shown himself to be an imposter," said the teacher despite reddened cheeks, "He is not fit to be a teacher, and so the school fired him. A substitute has been called in for today. I would like you to treat him as if he were your teacher. Got that?"

"Hai!" the whole class said in unison. Hana said the word in a whisper. She had always known that Nezo was nothing but a poser, but the timing of this substitution was interesting. The teacher was trying to make the students act as if everything was normal so as not to alert their parents to the school's atrocious hiring methods. A blonde man fell in through the doorway.

"Why am I doing this?" complained the blonde, making a spectacle of himself as he rose to his feet. "Is this Namimori Middle's first year class?"

"Are you the substitute?" asked the teacher.

"Am I supposed to be?" asked the blonde. All the females, except Hana and Kyoko, squealed at the blonde's confused look. Wonderful. The school had switched one stupid teacher for another.

"Yes, I suppose," said the teacher. "I have to go teach 1-C history, so please do your best. Ignore all the parents, and you'll do fine."

"Parents!" exclaimed the blonde. "What parents?"

"Like I said you'll be fine. Remember, you go to teach 2-B next."

"Wait! What parents are you talking about?" exclaimed the blonde, but the teacher and the assistant had already left. The blonde stared with bespectacled green eyes at the students who stared back at him. He then smiled weakly and hid behind the desk. "C-caio. Actually in English that would be 'hello,' wouldn't it?"

"What's it matter what it is in English," said Gokudera as he waltzed in late.

"Smokin' Bomb Hayato!" exclaimed the blond man. Gokudera immediately pulled out those bluffing dynamites of his.

"What is the head of the Chiavarone doing here?" demanded Gokudera.

"C-calm down," said the blonde, holding up his hands in surrender. "I-I'm your substitute English teacher."

"But isn't this supposed to be science class?" asked Takeshi.

"Yeah," said one of the other monkeys. Most of the girls glared at the poor soul.

"W-well, i-isn't this Namimori Middle's first year class?" asked the blonde.

"It's one of them," said Hana. The glares turned to her.

"One of them?"

"Yes. That's why it's called 1-_B_," said Hana, ignoring the glares easily. The blonde had more potential than Nezo, and so she felt inclined to give him as much of a chance as possible. His clumsiness reminded her of Tsuna, and she wouldn't want Tsuna to feel as adrift as this man did.

"Oh," said the blonde looking around the room. He spotted Tsuna. Tsuna tensed under the man's gaze, but the blonde smiled reassuringly. "It's alright. There must be a change of schedule, because this is the class I need to be in."

Before she could inform the strange blonde that the homeroom teacher had specifically said there were to be no changes, the door opened again and parents poured in.

"Good morning," said the blonde. "I'm the new English teacher, Dino-sensei."

Many a mother squealed at the man's introduction, echoed by their daughters in class. Hana sighed. Today would definitely be interesting.

* * *

><p>No sound had ever been as heavenly as that bell that rang to signal the end of that class. Dino had only half an idea of what he had been doing and having the extra pairs of eyes on him had not helped. But he must have done a good job, given the disappointed faces on half the class. Dino grinned and formulated a plan with his gaze fixed on his little brother. He would impress Reborn's new student.<p>

Reborn had asked (and who would believe that Dino's tutor would ever ask his formerly hopeless student for anything?) Dino to try to show the boy what a true boss looked like. Of course, the hitman had also murmured something about limited resources, but Dino understood that the hitman was counting on him. Reborn's new student was going down the wrong path as boss, and Reborn had hoped that a good role model might guide the boy onto the right path. Unfortunately, Dino had gotten off on to a bad start. The hitman had shot Dino's arm when the blonde had sent his subordinates to the hotel and then proceeded to have a couple of accidents. Before long, the boy had written Dino off as a clumsy fool, comparing the Chiavarone boss to the boy's blood brother who had been sleeping over at a friend's that night. Dino had been surprised to hear of a second possible heir for Vongola, but he had not dared to ask any more on the subject. Not after Reborn's eyes had hardened and the boy had broken his nose on the floor. Even more worrying, Reborn had healed the boy, making it clear to Dino that the broken nose was unintentional. Any topic that could make Reborn lose control of his strength (Dino almost dared to think that Reborn had lost control of _himself_) was a topic to be avoided at all cost. The night had ended with the boy completely ignoring the Chiavarone boss.

When Reborn had ordered Dino to come to Namimori Middle with Romario, Dino had quickly complied, hoping to get a second chance with the boy who the Chiavarone boss already viewed as his little bro. Not that he had expected to have to pose as a teacher, but the instructions that Reborn had left Dino were very clear. Or as clear as Dino and Romario could decipher from the Japanese kanji. Only Reborn would still test Dino after the hitman had become someone else's tutor. Determined not to let his former tutor down again, Dino had quickly translated the note with Romario's help and had hurried into the school. One way or another, Tamaki would be impressed by the Chiavarone boss. Dino caught Romario's eyes and gave his subordinate the signal. Romario made his way through the crowd of parents where the moustached man had been standing and exited the classroom through the back door. Dino put on his most charming smile (that Reborn had once said would convince cats to swim) when Romario appeared again on the other side of the classroom's front door and gave his boss a thumbs up.

"Alright," said Dino when he had almost the entire classroom's attention. "You have free period now. You may talk amongst yourselves."

Chaos erupted as parents made their way to their children and students moved to be with friends or parents. Dino suddenly found himself surrounded by mothers and daughters. He kept smiling and with his charm on maximum managed to untangle himself from the women's clutches and get to the seat by the window. Three others sat around the seat and the person sitting in it, but everyone else gave them a wide berth, despite many a female eyeing the group with envy.

"So what do you think? Am I a cool teacher or what?" asked Dino.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Smokin' Bomb Hayato, one of the three surrounding the seat. Dino had been initially surprised when he had seen the young Mafioso enter the classroom, but Reborn had a good eye for potential. Smokin' Bomb Hayato was too much a loose cannon for most _famiglie_ to consider taking him in, but considering the fact the young Mafioso was the same age as Reborn's new student and did have great potential, Dino understood why Reborn had brought in the young Mafioso. But Dino was more than a little impressed by his little bro. The boy had gotten the loose cannon to sit in a desk all class and not attack the suspicious Chiavarone boss by giving the short tempered Mafioso a loaded look. The look had not been intimidating, as Dino had half-expected it to be, but a mix of plea and firm command. The kind of look a real boss uses. The boy was not as hopeless as Reborn had said then.

"Getting to know my little bro," said Dino, moving closer to said little bro's seat.

"I didn't know you had another brother," said a tall brunette who Dino had learned was Yamamoto Takeshi. "Why don't you introduce us?"

"B-but I-I've n-never s-seen h-him b-before," said the small brunette. The rejection hurt Dino, but it also confused him. Was it him, or did the boy look smaller today than yesterday? And what was with the stutter? Pleading brown eyes turned towards the Smokin' Bomb.

"Get rid of the stupid Chiavarone boss yourself," said the irate Mafioso. Dino frowned. If this was the way the Smokin' Bomb treated his boss, Dino was glad that he hadn't recruited the short-tempered teen.

"Boss? Chiavarone? Do I want to know what you're talking about?" asked the only female of the group, a Kurokawa Hana. Dino appreciated her earlier attempts to orient him and approved of the clever girl associating with his little bro.

"Sounds like a game," said Yamamoto Takeshi. The teen's explanation astounded Dino, and he barely kept from laughing out loud. His little bro had some interesting subordinates.

"You've got a party going on here," said a new voice. A man who bore a strong resemblance to Yamamoto Takeshi joined them. "Is it like this every day, Takeshi?"

"Hey, Dad. You're late," said Yamamoto Takeshi, confirming Dino's suspicions.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san," said Kurokawa. The girl was examining Dino in a way which would have made a non-Reborn trained man fidget, "In answer to your question, it's not usually this chaotic."

"Hahaha," the father laughed. "That's good to hear. Today _is_ a special day."

"Exactly. That's why the teachers decided to give this time as a free period," said Dino, putting back on his charming smile.

"That's kind of them," said the father. "So who are you?"

"I'm Dino, the new English teacher," Dino said before ruffling his little bro's hair. "And Tamaki's older brother."

A subtle change hit the air, and Dino stiffened. Sharp black eyes made Dino reflexively reach for his whip and take a defensive stance against the man who only moments before had been a cheerful, kind father. Now the man had the aura of a skilled killer.

"So you're Tamaki's big brother," said the dangerous man. "Not Tsuna's."

Dino had to make a conscious effort not to take a step back. The young boss had no idea what about Tamaki's brother had people reacting in such strange ways, but Dino figured he better find out soon so as to avoid more conversational land mines.

"I'm sure Tamaki's brother is a good guy," said Dino, his charming smile cracking. "But me and Tamaki have a special bond, right?"

Tamaki shook his head, leaving Dino hurting and friendless amongst the wolves. Or at least that's what it felt like with all the glares pinning him in place, accusing him and demanding penance for some unknown sin. Dino had felt more comfortable in meetings with hostile _famiglie_. Ironically, the friendliest glare he was getting was from the Smokin' Bomb, and only because the glare had a touch of confused reluctance tempering it.

"I-I'm n-not T-Tamaki-san."

Dino blinked. He repeated the words in his head. He blinked again. He mouthed the words and vaguely noted that the glares were disappearing and being replaced with exchanged and questioning looks. Again, Dino blinked, and the words finally made sense.

"YOU'RE TWINS!" yelled Dino. The whole room grew quiet, and every eye focused on Dino once more.

"You didn't know?" asked Yamamoto Takeshi, and Dino could almost read pity in the teen's face, but the young boss's head had a major case of vertigo. Tamaki and his brother were twins. When Dino had heard about Tamaki's brother, the young boss had assumed, like anyone with any sense, that the boy had to be a younger brother. Maybe a year or so younger, though the signs pointed to a five year or more age difference. But twins? Twins brought a plethora of problems with them. Deciding which twin would be successor always brought problems, though most simply defaulted towards the oldest. The main issue with twins lay in the fact that the minute age difference left room for choice. Not many would argue that age or experience was an important factor, so the decision concerning the successor could be made on skill and talent. And any decision made could also be argued and debated. No wonder the Vongola had kept their twin heirs a secret. _Famiglie_ had been torn apart over these sorts of disputes. But still…twins!

"You're twins?" said Dino.

"We've established that," said Kurokawa. "Do you have some sort of head injury?"

"The tenth and Dame-Tsuna are twins," said the Smokin' Bomb irritated. "How hard is that to get through your thick skull?"

"Are you alright?" said Romario, appearing behind his boss. The rest of the room, not understanding what in the world the group was talking about, went back to their own conversations and concerns. Straightening himself, Dino prepared himself for what needed to be done. He then bowed lowly.

"I apologize," said the blond boss. "I had no idea that Tamaki had a twin."

"I think that's obvious by the way you freaked out," said Kurokawa, smiling amusedly at him. Dino barely kept from breathing a sigh of relief upon realizing that the group no longer seemed like they were going to blast his head off, but realizing his mistake, he could understand why they reacted the way they did. Dino examined Tamaki's twin, allowing the realization that the boy he had thought had real potential to be a great boss was not Reborn's student, but another boy entirely. The brunette gave Dino a tentative smile. The blonde now understood Reborn's reaction at the mere mention of this boy. How frustrated his former tutor must be to have to train a spoiled brat when his twin had so much more potential.

"I'm sorry to ask such a question right after my mistake, but I feel I must," said Dino using his politest speech, as one boss to another. He needed to know the answer to his question in order to understand the Vongola Ninth's reasoning for choosing that twin over this one. "Who is older, you or your brother?"

"M-me," the small brunette. Dino filed the information away for later, the mystery of the Vongola Ninth's decision increasing rather than decreasing.

"I have to apologize again," said Dino, barely refraining from blushing at his umpteenth faux pas in the last five minutes. "I haven't asked your name. As I said, I am Dino. Who are you?"

"I-I'm S-Sawada T-Tsunayoshi," said the brunette, his smile becoming warmer by the second. "I-it's n-nice t-to m-meet y-you."

"I assure you," said Dino, giving the boy another bow. "The pleasure is all mine."

Looking at the beat red face on the small brunette, Dino knew that as a boss he had spoken few phrases that held as much truth in them as that one.


	9. Slips of the Tongue

Chapter 9: _Slips of the Tongue_

A shred of self-control was all that stood between that idiot Dino and a bullet in his brain. Reborn should have known that his idiotic former student would find a way to misread the kanji and end up in the wrong classroom. Of all the situations, Reborn had feared this one the most, but he still had not managed to prevent it. That kanji had been a terrible mistake. And if his current situation was not bad enough, his binky glowed. Another arcobaleno was within range, and if the child assassin that had gone after his student was any indication, Reborn knew exactly which one.

"Hello, Reborn," said a recognizably calm voice. Reborn didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"Ciaossu," he said as calmly as possible. "Did your student succeed in taking out her target?"

"No. She's still inexperienced, and so she is staying here in Japan to train."

"I see," said Reborn. He vaguely wondered where the girl was staying, but the information was fairly irrelevant to his current duties. Normally, Reborn made sure to know every fact and location of anyone within a fifty mile radius, mafia ties or no, but lately Reborn had little motivation to keep track of anything outside his student's growing _famiglia's_ whereabouts and machinations. The brat acted as if quantity would overrun quality and accepted any half-wit that would show the slightest loyalty or strength, and yet that same stupid brat refused to give Gokudera Hayato a second glance. The brat had made the hitman's every plan or attempt to improve the brat's _famiglia_ a failure with his recurring temper tantrums and outbursts. Reborn clenched his tiny fists, knowing that he would once again have to use sun flames to keep the nail marks from scarring.

"Are you here on assignment?"

The question set Reborn's every nerve on end. Reborn had to grab his fedora to imitate some semblance of calm. The word "assignment" was not one the hitman would use to describe his current situation. "Torment" embodied the situation better.

"If I may old friend," said the other arcobaleno, "you look quite distressed."

Reborn shot the other a dark glare, but a calm smile was his only response.

"You might feel better if you talk about it."

This time, Reborn scoffed. As if talking would change the situation and suddenly make all problems disappear. Information was too valuable to be revealed and discussed for the purpose of making one person _feel_ better.

"We might be able to figure out a solution if we discuss it," said the other. Reborn had often prided himself on being unreadable. The only one who had ever read Reborn well enough to know what was going on in the hitman's head had been the one and only Sky arcobaleno. And now his composure had fallen apart so badly that another could easily see through him.

"I don't want to," Reborn replied, not caring that the response sounded childish. He would rather shoot the other in the head before succumbing to the degrading position of asking for help. He was the world's number one hitman, and he did not need to _talk_.

"Is it about your student?" Reborn's glare was once again ignored as the other took a deep breath. The exhaling breath sounded not unlike one that the other would use before beginning a battle. "I had heard that the Vongola Ninth had sent you on a mission to train the Tenth generation boss and that the boy lived in Japan. Which is why I am not surprised to see you here or that you know about my I-pin. Are you worried about your student? Is he in trouble of some sort?"

Reborn knew what the other was doing. The long winded explanation invited one in return, but the hitman still refused to comply.

"Or perhaps the problem is the student himself," said the other, continuing his attempt to draw Reborn into conversation. The hitman kept his gaze fixed on his idiot former student who continued to chat with the former weakling. "Did you know I took on a new student? From what I had heard, I had expected to have problems getting I-pin adjusted to me having a new student, but she's quite taken with the boy. She clings to him whenever she can and enjoys sparring with him. He has already progressed past the point where spars with her are more play than serious, but he still spars with her whenever she asks. He is quite gentle with her."

The hitman made no movement. He would ignore the other until the other arcobaleno gave up and left.

"I remember a time I thought I would never take on a student. Too much time is consumed in mentoring and guiding another, and I thought that I could use that time for something more valuable. Like training my own body or finding a way out of our shared curse. But then I saw an associate of mine take an odd request and start tutoring a hopeless young boy. Every brief encounter I had with this associate's student showed more and more progress. The change in the boy soon rippled past the bounds of student and teacher to affect a good portion of Italy and other parts of Europe. I watched that associate do with his time what I could not, had not done with mine. And so, when I discovered a little girl orphaned in a remote village, I could only think of the ripples that might occur if I were to take her in and train her. So I did. I have never truly regretted my choice. But it is one I would not have made if I had not seen that associate become the sun in a young boy's life."

The needless words soothed the heaviness that had bound itself up in the hitman's chest, but they also weighed it down more. Though he would never admit it aloud, Reborn had grown to enjoy teaching. He worked hard to earn the flutter of pride and pleasure that came with each accomplishment his student made. He waited eagerly for the moment a light would go on inside his student's eyes and treasured every time his student would look to him for guidance. And there was _that_ moment, the moment when his student rushed forward with no hesitation, no more looking back for reassurance or strength, and took the first steps towards independence. Those instances, _that_ moment, they gave Reborn a reason to move forward himself, because the hitman had built something up instead of tearing it down.

"And now," the other continued, "I have another student, and I have begun to wonder how I could ever have considered guiding another a waste of time. What is the wind without something to blow?"

The hitman followed his former student's movements, making a show of watching the clumsy idiot go to the correct room this time and charm the student teacher into switching classes. The idiot's charm worked, and the student teacher happily moved to the weakling's classroom only to despair upon seeing the chaos within. Reborn smirked. At least that idiot former student of his could occasionally do the right thing.

"So does your student study here?" asked the other.

Forcibly not gritting his teeth, the hitman continued to watch his former student greet his current one and ignore the other arcobaleno. The other should give up and leave soon.

"Mine does."

Reborn's head snapped in the other's direction, causing the other arcobaleno to shift his stance instinctually and prepare to defend.

"What's your student's name?" demanded Reborn, a worrisome suspicion growing in the back of his mind. The storm arcobaleno's curious expression meant that the comment had not been laced with malicious intent, but the other had no idea of the dread that was slowly filling the hitman. The other did not know how much Reborn wanted to continue to be blind to what he had noticed in the last few brief encounters with the former weakling. How the answer should be the name of any student except that one. How utterly vulnerable the comment, those two words, had left him. Reborn had never wanted to beg for anything in his life, but he did not think he could bear the answer he knew was coming. The other gazed into a window of the school, and Reborn did not dare follow the gaze. A fond smile grew on the other's face as the storm arcobaleno answered, the name echoing in Reborn's head.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

* * *

><p>"So this is where you eat lunch," said Yamamoto-san. "I have to say, I like it."<p>

"Yea, it's great isn't it?" said Takeshi, his arm finding its way around Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna had long gotten used to the arm and smiled at the action. Leaning on the arm slightly, Tsuna looked up. He loved how close the sky felt up here. And he loved coming up here on the roof with his friends whenever the weather was especially clear. "We don't come here every day, but today's special, right? And now it's time to eat! Did you bring the sushi, Dad?"

"Of course," said the man, taking the bag off his shoulders. "In fact I thought I would give my boy's friends' parents a demonstration!"

"My parents would have liked to see that," said Hana, sitting on a box that had been declared hers the first time the four had come up here. "But they had to go back to work. If it wouldn't be a problem, I would love to save some of your sushi for them."

"You don't even need to ask," said Yamamoto-san. "And now what about your parents?"

"My family's needlessly complicated," said Gokudera, leaning against the wall.

"How can you say that so casually?" mumbled Tsuna, half hoping the bomber would hear and explain, but either the question was too quiet or Gokudera ignored it. Considering the bomber's response to similar questions, he had probably ignored Tsuna's mumble.

"And yours?" asked Hana, dragging Tsuna's attention away from Gokudera to the small brunette's own unwanted question. Unfortunately, Hana would never let Tsuna get away with pretending not to hear. "My parents were looking forward to meeting your mother."

"S-she's with my brother," said Tsuna.

"And your father?" asked Hana, not seeing both Yamamotos stiffened at the question. Tsuna felt himself go rigid and the heat simmer under his skin.

"Hana," said Tsuna struggling to gain control of his swirling emotions. He gave Hana a smile that obviously disturbed more that reassured her. "Don't ever ask about him again."

Instead of giving her usual casual or half sarcastic comment, she nodded.

"Thank you," he said, banishing thoughts of _him_ into the far, far back of his mind.

"Oh, Tsuna, I forgot to tell you something," said Takeshi, his normal grin calming Tsuna completely. The smaller brunette let the forced smile fall and looked questioningly at the baseball player. The grin grew wider. "Someone else came to see you."

Before Tsuna could ask who, something soft brushed past his stomach and sent a "HIEE!" out his mouth. The thing wiggled up his shirt, and the cry changed to snorts and then became uncontrollable laughter as the tickles increased. Eventually the thing popped its head out of Tsuna's collar and licked the brunette's cheek.

"Lichi stop," said Tsuna. He patted the cute white monkey on its head. A smile lit up the adorable heart shaped face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Fon-sensei?"

"He is," said a voice behind Tsuna. He quickly turned and saw the short martial artist at the edge of the roof. Fon leapt from the fence and landed on Tsuna's shoulder. He gave polite bow. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," said Hana, returning the bow. "I assume you must be the Fon-sensei. My name's—"

"Kurokawa Hana," said the martial artist. "Tsuna's mentioned you often."

"F-Fon-sensei," said Tsuna, finding his voice, "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how my pupil did at school," said Fon.

"O-oh," said Tsuna, his face heating up.

"You did well," said Fon. "I wish I had brought I-pin so she could see how one behaves in middle school."

Tsuna hid behind his hair, knowing his martial teacher could see the blush regardless. The boy felt a hand pat his head. He peeked out from behind his bangs to see a gentle smile on his sensei's face.

"I'm glad you're here, old friend," said Yamamoto-san. "At least there will be someone here who will appreciate my technique."

"Are you saying we won't?" asked Hana.

"You young kids don't appreciate things the way we older folk do," said Yamamoto-san.

"Older?" asked Hana. She gave Fon a speculative look. "You're older?"

"I am older than appear," said Fon. Tsuna had not really thought about Fon-sensei's age, since the martial artist was a lot like Reborn. The two were more than they appeared. The smaller brunette glanced at his sensei.

"Fon-sensei?" asked Tsuna. Calm black eyes turned towards him. "Are you…are you okay?"

"Why would I not be?"

"You…you look troubled," said Tsuna, uncertainty underlining his words. Fon patted his head again.

"Don't worry," said Fon. Tsuna almost thought he could see a confused sadness in his sensei's eyes.

"Time to start the show," said Yamamoto-san, knife and fish in hand.

"Wait!" cried Tsuna. All the eyes on the roof turned towards him, making him squirm. But he continued. "Someone else is coming."

"Che, there's no one near the perimeter," said Gokudera.

"If Tsuna says so, there must be someone. Wait a second, Dad," said Takeshi. Gokudera glared at the baseball player, but he didn't argue. The bomber suddenly stiffened, and his green eyes widened. They narrowed on the roof's door. The others looked towards the door too. Abruptly footsteps sounded as someone made their way up the stairs. The door opened and revealed a cheery face framed with brown hair.

"There you are, Tsuna," said his mom, a relieved smile. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Mom!" Tsuna said hurrying towards his mother. "I thought you were with Tamaki."

"I was," she said. "But he wanted to spend some times with his friends and so he said I should go home. But I thought I should find Tsuna and tell him first."

The sadness in her voice made Tsuna move forward to his mother and take her hand. He had hoped that his brother would appreciate their mother visiting Tamaki's class, since Tamaki had complained loudly last year that Nana should not bother going to Tsuna's class. That's why Tsuna had rushed out of his classroom and made sure that his mother went to Tamki's class instead of Tsuna's. But Tamaki was becoming more and more like their father. Gritting his teeth, Tsuna pushed the thoughts back again.

"You can spend lunch with us," said Tsuna. "Yamamoto-san was about to show us his sushi cutting technique."

"Wow. That sounds exciting!" she said.

"Mom," Tsuna said, pointing to each of the people on the roof in turn. "This is Yamamoto Takeshi and Yamamoto-san his father. That's Gokudera-san. And this is—"

Tsuna stopped as he prepared to introduce his sensei. The martial artist had left the boy's shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Tsuna?" asked his mother.

"He is looking for me," said Fon. He stood in front of Tsuna's mother and bowed. "My name is Fon. It is a great pleasure to meet the mother of my student."

"Student?" asked Tsuna's mother, her smile genuine. "Did you find yourself a tutor like Re—"

"Yes, this is my sensei Fon," said Tsuna interrupting his mother. The feeling that he had learned not to ignore was telling him not to let her say that name here. "Everyone, this is my mother."

Hana got up to greet Tsuna's mother at the same time as Fon returned to Tsuna's shoulder.

"Good afternoon," said the girl. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sawada-san. My parents were looking forward to meeting you, but I see that your spoiled brat kept you."

"Hana-chan!" cried Tsuna.

"So you must be the girl the purple bento's for," said Tsuna's mother. The word "bento" set off warning bells loudly in Tsuna's head.

"Yes," said Hana. "And I wanted to thank you for all the bentos. My parents also wanted to thank you. They can hardly believe someone else's mother would make a lunch for her son's friends."

"I like to cook, and besides Tsu—"

"Yamamoto-san don't you need to start soon?" asked Tsuna. He did not need the feeling to know that he did not want his mother to finish that sentence.

"I can wait a while longer," said Yamamoto-san, placing the fish on the cutting board. "I have to say the food you make rivals my dear deceased Mako's."

"You're too kind," said Nana, blushing, "but I find it hard to believe that your son shared one of my bentos with you. Growing boys tend to leave nothing behind."

"No, they don't," said Yamamoto-san. Tsuna wanted to protest that he shared his food, for some reason not liking the shared smiles between the two parents, but he didn't. His mother didn't smile like that very often. "But it wasn't Takeshi who let me taste your delicious cooking. Your son brought in a bento for me and his sensei about a week ago. Tsuna's a very polite boy. Much more well-mannered than my boy."

"That's not nice, Dad," said Takeshi, but the grin on his face didn't change.

"I'm sure Takeshi-kun's a good boy too," said Nana. Nana's numerous comments on how she would love to have Tsuna's friends over echoed through Tsuna's head. Tsuna decided he would invite Takeshi and the rest over someday soon so that Nana could cook for them, when Tamaki wasn't there. "But that explains who the red and yellow and dark blue bentos were for."

"Does that mean that Tsuna asks you to make food without telling you who for?" asked Hana, narrowing her eyes.

"No, of course not. Why would you think—" Nana cut herself off, and she gave her son a mischievous smile that filled Tsuna with dread. "My son is so cute!"

"He can be," said Hana. "Any reason you're saying this now?"

Nana continued to smile, and Tsuna sent her a pleading look. Too bad his mother had already made up her mind.

"Tsu-kun has never asked me to make lunches for his friends," she explained. "I make them because sometimes Tsu-kun stays up too late studying or playing with Tamaki's tutor to make them himself."

"Himself?" asked Hana, her surprise reflected on many of the faces on the roof.

"He gets up early every morning to make enough food for every one of his friends. He's getting to be an amazing chef. Mama's so proud," said Nana. Tsuna wanted the roof to cave in and let him drop through a few floors.

"You're saying that the tenth's _copy_ made those bentos?" asked Gokudera, sounding as if he was choking.

"Wow. No wonder they tasted so good," said Takeshi.

"How can you say that? The tenth's mother is an unparalleled chef!"

"Such flattery!" exclaimed Nana. "You boys are so sweet."

"So the one who had been making the bentos from the beginning is Tsuna, not you?" asked Hana, in her clarifying voice. Nana nodded.

"Since he's that good, I should let Tsuna help me out in the restaurant sometime," said Yamamoto-san.

"He's a wonderful helper," said Nana.

"Mom!" Tsuna cried. He was sure his face couldn't get any hotter. He was wrong. Hana, Takeshi, Yamamoto-san, and even Gokudera turned to him with different versions of wonder in their eyes. The heat in his face went up a few degrees, and Tsuna blocked his view of them with his bangs.

"There is no reason for you to feel embarrassed," said a whisper beside Tsuna, and the boy remembered too late that his sensei was still on his shoulder. "I am sure that your friends can now enjoy their food more knowing that their close comrade spent so much time and care preparing it."

"Yeah," said Takeshi moving to stand next to Tsuna. If Fon had not been on Tsuna's shoulder, Takeshi would have no doubt perched his arm on it. "You should have told us from the beginning."

"Typical Tsuna," said Hana in a sigh. "You should know better than to lie to your friends. But if you keep making those bentos, I think I'll let it slide this time."

"Y-you don't think it's too girly?" asked Tsuna. He had prepared for a little teasing and a lot of laugher. Anyone who had learned that he liked to cook had mocked him mercilessly, especially _him_.

"This is why you're a stupid copy," said Gokudera, looking away from Tsuna. "The best chefs in the world are _men_."

"He's right," said Yamamoto-san. "Next time you come to Takesushi, prepare to show me if your skills extend to sushi. It would be nice to have two extra pairs of hands on busy days instead of just one."

"What do you think, Tsuna? Want to try making some sushi with me and Dad?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna stared at the baseball player before looking around the roof and making sure that this was real. A smile stretched his lips as a very unfamiliar warmth filled him.

"Yes," said Tsuna, returning his gaze to Takeshi. "Sushi sounds like a lot of fun to make."


	10. Fighting Another's Battles

Chapter 10: _Fighting Another's Battles_

Blearily, Tsuna opened his eyes to see a blob. The blob sharpened into a ceiling as his brain registered pain in his head and his stomach. According to his sensei, he should close his eyes and fake unconsciousness until he fully understood the situation he was in. But Tsuna _felt_ no real danger and could almost recognize the ceiling as his own even if he couldn't feel his bed under him. The throbbing in his head hadn't let him focus long enough for him to be sure of anything though, and so he lifted himself into a seated position and made sure the room was his own. His examination stopped as his eyes snagged onto a short figure not standing more than three feet in front of him. His feeling had been dead wrong.

"R-Reborn, w-what a-are y-you d-doing h-here?" Tsuna said, backing away from the figure as quickly as possible.

"I came to check your work," said the infant hitman, and Tsuna didn't think that he could get to the window in time to escape. He would have to throw himself on the hitman's mercy (if the demon infant had any).

"I-I'm s-sorry," Tsuna said. His growing fear disabled him from accompanying the statement with a bow. "T-today w-was P-Parent's D-day, and H-Hana's been h-helping b-but I-I've b-been b-busy."

"Busy doing what?" asked Reborn in a deceptively calm tone. A tight-reigned anger hid under those words.

"I-I'm s-studying m-martial a-arts. I-I w-won't b-bother T-Tamaki-san t-that way." Tsuna had hoped the mention of Tamaki would make Reborn back down a bit, since Reborn was Tamaki's tutor not Tsuna's. The demon should be worried more about Tamaki than the boy's brother. But the anger got worse. And the feeling was obviously malfunctioning because Tsuna still didn't register any danger towards himself.

"Stop."

"S-stop?" asked Tsuna. "S-stop what?"

"Martial arts," said Reborn. "You need to focus on your studies if you don't want to become a burden to the _famiglia_."

"No," Tsuna said firmly. That warmth licked beneath his skin as he faced the demon. The demon whipped out a gun behind him and pointed it to Tsuna. And the feeling still wasn't working, because even as Tsuna struggled not to run the other way at the sight of a gun in those strangely capable hands, he couldn't label the gun as a threat.

"Why not?" the hitman demanded.

"B-b-because I-I c-can't!" said Tsuna. The heat had disappeared under that intense glare. "I-I'm—"

"Don't apologize. Tell me why you can't."

"B-because," Tsuna said, the words coming easier than they ever had, "I-I want t-to b-be stronger."

"You could just ask me to shoot you," said the hitman. Tsuna could tell that part of those words true. But a half-truth was still a whole lie, so Tsuna shook his head.

"I-I n-need t-to get s-stronger b-by myself. T-those bullets a-aren't for me."

The gun pointed to the floor, and Tsuna thought he saw the demon's shoulders slump a little. A flicker of green appeared and landed on Tsuna. Tsuna fell backwards, expecting pain, but instead a little green chameleon clambered up onto Tsuna's head.

"Leon," said Reborn, a command embedded in the name. Right. The chameleon was the hitman's personal pet, Leon. Leon stuck out his tongue and tightened his grip on Tsuna's neck where he had decided to perch. Tsuna didn't understand the chameleon's decision, but he felt it was important. "Fine. Stay."

"A-are y-you l-leaving?" asked Tsuna.

"Yes. Why? Do you want me to stay?"

"N-no," said Tsuna, fearing what the demon would do if he said yes. "B-but w-what a-about m-my w-work?"

"It was perfect."

"W-what!" said Tsuna, surprise warring with confusion. "But I-I thought that...w-why'd y-you w-wake m-me u-up?"

"Because I wanted to."

At those words, the hitman disappeared. Tsuna didn't understand the demon, but then again, it would probably cost all his sanity to do so.

* * *

><p>Narrowing on the brown mess of hair, he leapt and attacked. The brown hair met his weapon, but the metal met nothing solid. His prey had ducked and was running the other way. He gave chase, but the prey was faster today than yesterday. A lit stick, an explosive, fell towards him, but he knocked it back, and it exploded sufficiently far away to ignore. Later, he would bite to death whoever had decided to destroy Namimori property.<p>

"W-what'd I-I d-do, H-Hibari-san?" his prey shrieked, but Hibari ignored it. The prey knew exactly why Hibari was hunting it. The prey ran into a dead end, and Hibari aimed a tonfa for the prey's neck. The attack missed and hit the wall. A bat grazed Hibari's hair as he dodged what would have been a surprise attack to an herbivore. The second tonfa hit soft flesh, and the extra herbivore behind him groaned and dropped the baseball bat. The prey took the opportunity to punch Hibari's stomach. The movement was more controlled and calculated than yesterday's, but Hibari dodged it easily. The strike lacked the fierceness of those of day before. The extra herbivore took another swing with the bat, but Hibari stepped into the swing and stuck out with his first tonfa. The blow to the neck rendered the interfering herbivore unconscious.

"Takeshi!" cried the prey, catching the herbivore before he hit the ground. The prey's eyes changed from frightened and wide to fierce and thin. They differed from the wild ones it had showed yesterday, but the desire to destroy the prey increased. "Why'd you hurt him?"

"He got in the way of our fight," said Hibari. He struck, his tonfa meeting bare hands. The eyes were gone, replaced by muddied confusion, but Hibari swung the second tonfa at the prey's stomach. The prey spun so that it hit the prey's back as the eyes returned. The prey had taken the blow to protect the herbivore. So the herbivore was its trigger. Hibari pulled back the first tonfa for another strike, but the prey had it in a tight grip. Soon, the second tonfa was stuck in the prey's other hand.

"Why are you fighting me?" asked the prey. The question irritated Hibari. He let go of his second tonfa and stepped around the prey. He turned to elbow the prey in the face, but it ducked and rolled itself and the herbivore out of the way. Hibari moved to strike the prey's neck this time, limiting the amount of time and space the prey would need to duck, but the prey pounced and grabbed the second tonfa. The prey hooked a foot around one of Hibari's ankles and tried to throw the prefect. Hibari strengthened his legs and used his free hand to snatch back his first tonfa. Shifting backwards to pull the tonfa away from Hibari, the prey lost its balance because of the foot still hooked to Hibari's ankle. The prey fell, which saved it from the grasping hand, and the tumble tripped Hibari as well. The two hit the ground opposite each other, their feet still tangled together. The prey suddenly wrapped a second foot around Hibari's ankle and flipped both of them over. With one more quick movement, the prey literally sat on Hibari.

"We weren't breaking school rules," said the prey turned predator. "Why did you attack?"

"Those who pretend to forget agreements will be bitten to death," said Hibari, breaking the hold and changing the predator back to prey. The prey wisely stayed back and avoided the tonfas that Hibari had immediately grabbed from where they had fallen on the floor.

"What promise?" asked the prey, dodging each tonfa strike with an increasingly recognizable style. "I didn't promise to fight you! Wait-did Tamaki talk to you?"

Hibari stopped. His dark grey eyes examined the prey in front of him. Kusakabe had mentioned a strange pair of twins who though identical in genetics were nothing alike in behavior and they did not crowd together. The slim brunette had fallen again. He sat taking deep ragged breaths. The eyes that had excited the prefect had become deep brown, all fight gone out of them. They held a defeat that Hibari had not placed there. Someone else had beat this not-quite-a-herbivore past the point of submission. Hibari sheathed his tonfas and set out to find the cowardly herbivore who had dared pretend to be a worthy opponent.

"W-wait," said the mistaken prey. "W-what d-did m-my b-brother p-promise?"

"A fight," said Hibari.

"H-here. A-and t-this t-time," said the once prey in an herbivorous tone. Hibari saw no need to reply. The not-quite-a-herbivore wore the distinct air of defeat casually, and it irked Hibari that he had not put it there. "H-Hibari, w-will y-you h-hurt T-Tamaki-san?"

"Liars need to be bitten to death."

"I-if I-I f-fight y-you, w-would y-you l-leave T-Tamaki-san a-alone?" asked the not-quite-a-herbivore. Hibari nearly flashed out his tonfas, held back only by the thought that he had already attacked an unsuspecting opponent. In the end, the promising opponent was nothing but an herbivore.

"You cannot save him, herbivore," said Hibari. "He has a promise to fulfill."

"P-please," said the herbivore, the once fierce eyes quivering with a pathetic plea. "T-Tamaki d-didn't mea—y-you f-fought m-me. H-he p-promised a f-fight and y-you f-fought m-me."

"You were not the fight that was promised."

"F-fight m-me a-again t-then," said the herbivore. The brown eyes had started sharpening back into those exciting eyes. "I-I'll fight y-you as l-long as you w-want. B-but d-don't go a-after Tamaki-san."

The eyes held Hibari, and he did not like the feeling. But those eyes also promised enjoyment, a true fight against this sometimes herbivore. The prefect did not remember the last time an opponent had given him as much trouble as this one. The cowardly herbivore had only interested him. This one, that had identical features and skills that the other couldn't dream of, _excited_ him.

"Fight me," said Hibari. The herbivore became something else and stood to face the prefect, and Hibari knew he made the right choice.

* * *

><p>The new wounds should have surprised Hana, but she had been expecting this since Tsuna had started training with Takeshi. Tsuna had been preparing for another fight, even if he had not thought such a thing consciously. Still, she wanted to know the details, especially when the stupid monkey and Takeshi came to class late with excuses from the nurse. They both had several injuries and refused to so much as look at Tsuna. Apparently, whoever Tsuna had fought had beaten those two. But whether Tsuna had won against the opponent or not, she was not sure. He certainly had enough injuries to denote a loss, but he had immediately checked the other two over as they entered without a speck of guilt. She stood to interrogate the small brunette as the class spread out for lunch, but an unexpected face stopped her.<p>

"Wait, Hana," said Kyoko. "Could you join Tamaki and me for lunch today?"

"You know I can't stand him," said Hana. She found the brat repulsive back when all she knew about the scum was that he thought he owned her best friend, but she had unfortunately grown to know more about him since then through Tsuna. Anyone who treated a brother who loves him so dearly with such disregard and disgust should be locked behind bars or erased before he could pollute society further.

"I know," said the cute girl, shuffling nervously. Hana looked over the girl's head to see Tsuna dragging Takeshi and the stupid monkey out the door. The two were following him reluctantly and continuing to avoid looking at the small brunette's face. She wanted to go after them and give the two idiots a piece of her mind. Tsuna could easily misinterpret the situation, come to the conclusion that he had done something to upset the two, and blame himself for their behavior. "I was hoping that you would come with me. We haven't gotten to spend any time together lately."

Hana struggled to bring her attention back to the girl. Kyoko had started to fidget uneasily. The cute girl was right. Ever since Hana had gotten involved with Tsuna, the tall girl had found less time to spend with Kyoko. The time the two had spent together had already taken a beating before then, when that brat had started to date Kyoko and monopolize the cute girl's time. Hana could barely have a few moments before the brat came and stole the other girl away. And once Hana had found that she enjoyed spending time with the three boys (she counted Irie even if he still remained abroad) and sometimes even the idiot monkey, she had stopped trying to meet with her best friend. And Hana could tell by the way Kyoko could not stand still that Namimori's female school idol needed her best friend.

"I'm not going within ten meters of that _brat_," said Hana, the last word spit out in a hurried attempt to not say something worse. He was undoubtedly the reason Kyoko had returned to that terrible fidgeting habit. "You're coming with me."

"But Tamaki wants me to—"

"Did he say you needed to join him for lunch today?" asked Hana, stopping the hated words from coming out of her best friend's mouth.

"No, but—"

"Good. He hasn't come to pick you up either," Hana continued. The monkey king probably expected Kyoko to come to him and thought it best to spend his time elsewhere. Good time as any to pop the monkey king's bubble. "So you're coming to eat lunch with me."

The hazel eyes widened, and Hana realized the depth of the chasm that had come to separate her from her best friend. Thankfully, she now had a chance to fix their friendship. And some exposure to the better Sawada twin wouldn't hurt the other girl.

* * *

><p>The three boys on the roof turned as one when the door of the roof opened. Kyoko felt intimidated by the trio of stares and resisted urge to duck behind Hana. The taller girl would not approve of Kyoko hiding from Hana's new friends.<p>

"Tell me you started without me," said Hana making her way over to the three. An all too familiar face smiled sheepishly at the two girls, startling Kyoko with the contrast to the expressions that she usually saw on it.

"The idiot copy insisted we wait for you," said the delinquent of 1-B. Kyoko didn't know much else about him, not even his name.

"But it was hard waiting to eat our bentos," said Yamamoto. The baseball player's grin looked friendlier up-close, and the urge to hide was slowly shrinking in the combined presence of that grin and the familiar face's sheepish smile which had softened at the words and then disappeared under a shadow of brown hair. The delinquent's scowl kept the urge alive though.

"And if I hadn't come?" asked Hana, sitting next to the familiar face. Kyoko quietly followed her best friend's lead.

"Tsuna said you were coming," said Yamamoto as if the statement were a closing argument. Hana huffed a bit but didn't argue further. She took a bento from the floor where it had sat beside her. Kyoko realized for the first time that Hana hadn't brought lunch up to the roof. Peeking around the taller girl's shoulder, Kyoko saw the well-prepared lunch and wondered who had brought it. The food didn't look like Hana's style.

"What's the tenth's girlfriend doing here?" the delinquent demanded. The tone immediately set Kyoko's back straight. The school idol's hands clenched her skirt, and she forced them not to shake. Tamaki's friends all sounded like that.

"She needs a break from the brat," said Hana. She brushed a hand against Kyoko's. The touch stilled the light brunette's nerves. "And I put up with you."

"What's that supposed to mean, wench?" yelled the delinquent pulling out some funny looking sticks.

"G-Gokudera-san, p-please," said a familiar voice in an unfamiliar tone. The delinquent glared at the other boy, but put the strange sticks away.

"So who'd you get into a fight with this morning?" asked Hana. Kyoko wondered what the question meant as the boys reacted to it strangely. Gokudera froze before he got up and walked away from the group mumbling something about a perimeter. Tamaki's twin tightened his grip on his chopsticks and bit his lip. Yamamoto's grin dropped and then returned full blast.

"It was Hibari," said Yamamoto. His tone matched his overly bright grin. "Me and Gokudera were knocked out barely two minutes into the fight. Hibari deflected Gokudera's fireworks and hit Gokudera with them, and then he dodged my bat and knocked me in the stomach with his tonfa."

"And Tsuna?" asked Hana calmly, as if the answer didn't surprise her. It probably didn't. Not much surprised Hana.

"I don't know," said Yamamoto, scratching the back of his head. "Next thing I know I was in the nurse's office."

"And you didn't ask?" Hana's voice had a sharpness that Kyoko had rarely heard. Hana usually reserved it for when Kyoko did something the taller girl thought was incredibly dumb. The taller girl had used it when Kyoko had first started going out with Tamaki.

"No," said Yamamoto. He should be careful how hard he scratches or he might end up pulling out his hair.

"Then it's up to me then," said Hana. Tamaki's twin stiffened. "Who won?"

"M-me…," said the familiar voice in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. Kyoko felt her mouth drop open, but not one of the others showed signs of surprise.

"How?" Hana continued. "I doubt our esteemed prefect would leave a fight like that."

"T-the b-bell r-rang w-when I-I h-hit h-him, a-and h-he s-said t-to g-get t-to c-class. H-he w-wants t-to f-fight a-again," said the strangely quiet voice.

"And you're going to do it?"

"Y-yes," he said, slouching his shoulders in a way that Tamaki never would.

"What did he threaten?" asked Hana. Tamaki's twin shrunk into himself further.

"H-he d-didn't—"

"Don't lie. You wouldn't fight anyone without a reason," said Hana. The small brunette placed his chopsticks in the half-empty bento and lifted his head to reveal pleading brown eyes. Hana sighed. "Fine. Just don't let it go too far. I don't want to have to visit you in the hospital."

Kyoko's jaw, which had barely closed, fell open again. Hana never backed down from anyone. When she asked a question, she expected an answer and wouldn't give up until she got it. Kyoko had never seen Hana let anyone of the hook except the taller girl's own mother. But Tamaki's twin had stopped the strong-willed girl with one look.

"S-Sasagawa-chan, a-are y-you o-okay?"

The worried expression should not have fit in those parallel brown eyes, but it did. It did so well. Kyoko wished it would appear in them more often. The door banged open, and Kyoko jumped a bit at the sudden noise. She looked at the roof entrance wondering if the scary delinquent had come back. The person who had barged onto the roof glared at Kyoko and reminded her of one of her more recent discoveries. Wishes were hopeless things.

"Kyoko, I've been looking for you everywhere! What are you doing up here instead of going to Field 1?"

"Eating lunch," said Hana. Kyoko had missed her best friend's unshakable composure. "Or at least we were until you so rudely interrupted us."

"Kyoko doesn't lunch with anyone but me, got it?" growled Tamaki before marching over and grabbing Kyoko tightly by the arm. "Don't ever think about missing lunch with me again."

"Let go of her," said Hana. She stood and tried to get in between Tamaki and Kyoko. He pulled Kyoko closer to him, foiling Hana's plan.

"This has nothing to do with you, so go stick your nose in someone else's business," said Tamaki putting his arm around Kyoko's shoulder. "Besides you don't want to mess with me."

"I'm not afraid of a spoiled brat," said Hana. A hand shot out and slapped her hard enough to push her to the floor. The sight of Kyoko's strong-willed best friend clutching the right side of her face on the floor spun the school idol's world and weakened the girl's already weak knees. Kyoko could scarcely make out a quiet sounding "Hana" that echoed the one on her lips before the scene blurred.

"Don't _ever_ call me that," said Tamaki, the words becoming the only solid thing in Kyoko's world. His next words became static, though Kyoko could tell that he was cursing and giving her dear best friend a horrible title, and Kyoko couldn't focus on anything until the boy who had trapped her kicked the fallen girl hard enough for her to fall unconscious and then tried to spit on Kyoko best friend. The attempt was foiled as a hand caught the bodily fluid before it could hit the unconscious girl. "You? What do you think you're doing?"

"No one hurts my friends," said the exact replica of the first. "Not even you, Tamaki-san."

Tamaki pushed her away and smirked.

"As if you could do anything about that Dame-Tsuna," he said. He reached into his pockets for his favorite weapon. "And I think it's about time I reteach you that lesson."


	11. Two Different

Chapter 11: _Two Different_

He should stop them. The two last living heirs of the Vongola blood should never cross each other in a true battle. When he had sent the brat after the box, he had wanted a confrontation, not a brawl. The repercussions of a fight between the two could tear Vongola, and the whole mafia world, apart. But this fight could not be stopped, only postponed. And Reborn did not believe in procrastination. Besides, his student might actually learn something from the other twin. When the brat lost, perhaps he would be more receptive to Reborn's teachings. Even a hitman could hope.

The brat lunged without thought at his brother. Shock painted the brat's features as the former weakling sidestepped the attack easily. Clutching the brass knuckles tighter, the brat took another swing at his brother who dodged it with minimal effort. Reborn pulled his fedora over his eyes but kept it from blocking his vision. Dame-Tsuna's training with Fon had the former weakling continuing to dodge the brat's increasingly erratic punches. Every step the former weakling took showed that every instruction he had been given had been taken to heart and practiced a multitude of times. Yes, the forms and stances were not much past beginner level, but the former weakling had a good grasp of the basics. And the brat stood no chance against his formerly weak brother. And judging by the looks on the spectators' faces, the difference in skill was more than obvious.

"What are you doing? Stand still!" cried the brat as yet another punch missed. Reborn frowned. The brat hadn't even thought of using his legs. Outside of Dying Will mode, the brat was past pathetic. "Stop running like a coward."

"Promise me you won't hurt her," said Dame-Tsuna in a surprisingly calm tone. But the hitman could hear a dark warning hidden in it. "And I won't hurt you."

"I'm not promising you anything, Dame-Tsuna," said the brat, oblivious to his present position. The two had reached the roof's far corner that was opposite the door. "She's mine to do with as I please."

"She's not a thing," said the former weakling. He dodged another punch. "She's a person."

"Doesn't…matter," said the brat, his breath becoming heavier and more ragged every second. His brother had no troubles breathing. "She's…still…mine."

"I'm sorry," said Dame-Tsuna so softly that Reborn had to resort to lip reading. In an instant, the former weakling stood behind the brat. The brat stopped mid swing, having lost sight of his opponent. Dame-Tsuna didn't give the brat a chance to find him. The former weakling grabbed the brat's arm, twisted it backwards, and pushed the brat flush against the fence.

"W-what do you think you're doing? Let me go!" cried the brat, struggling but nowhere near succeeding in breaking the hold.

"Promise me you'll leave Kyoko and Hana alone."

"I told you I'm not promising you anything!" growled the brat. "Reborn! I know you're around here somewhere spying on me. Shoot already!"

The former weakling grew tense, obviously recognizing the words for what they meant. A pen in his pocket glowed and changed form. Leon scuttled out of the Dame-Tsuna's pocket and up to sit on the former weakling's shoulder. A lick brought the little lizard to both boy's attention.

"What are you doing with that?" cried the brat.

"Leon? I-I don't know. Last night Reborn visited me, and Leon stayed and then he sort of followed me to school," said the former weakling.

"Give that back to Reborn. He can't shoot me with the Dying Will bullet without it," said the brat. He obviously had a lot to learn. Reborn had a dozen Dying Will bullets and nearly as many guns in several emergency locations nearby. The hitman could shoot the brat whenever necessary. Leon made a good cover though, and Reborn didn't feel like shooting the brat now.

"No," the former weakling said firmly. "You have to promise."

The brat struggled harder to loosen the grip, but it remained firm. The brat slumped.

"Fine. I promise," said the brat. "Now let me go."

Dame-Tsuna released his grip, and Reborn scoffed at the former weakling's naiveté. The brat swung straight at his twin's face. Another hand stopped him.

"Now, now," said the baseball player. "Tsuna beat you fair and square. It's not fair if you try to keep swinging after you struck out."

"Why don't you go jump off the roof?" said the brat. Reborn would have sighed at his student's stupidity, but then he might not stop. The grip tightened, and the baseball player's hazel eyes sharpened revealing the potential hitman in the cheerful teen. The brat flinched and tried to pull his hand away.

"L-let go. You're hurting me," said the brat.

"Oh, am I?" said the baseball player.

"Takeshi, let him go," said Dame-Tsuna. The baseball player instantly obeyed, though he stayed between the brat and the former weakling. The brat should pay attention to how subordinates should act towards their boss. "Tamaki-san, your friends are probably waiting for you."

The brat glared at his twin. Words flared across the brat's mind, but the brat chose the wiser path (for once) and said none of them. He merely scoffed and headed to the roof's exit. When he opened the door, he did throw one more comment over his shoulder.

"I will reteach you that lesson, _aniki_."

* * *

><p>The pain had her hand against her stomach before she could think about opening her eyes. Hana blearily forced her eyelids open and saw three concerned faces focused on her.<p>

"I'm not dead, so calm down," she said. The three faces broke into their own versions of relieved smiles and backed off. "So where is the brat?"

"Tsuna-kun fought him off," said Kyoko, red tinting her cheeks as she spoke the words. So Kyoko had taken a liking to Tsuna? Not that surprising given whom the girl had been hanging out with as of late.

"I hope that means you two broke up for good," said Hana, pushing the pain to the back of her mind. She'd get whatever damage the moronic monkey king had done checked out later. She doubted he kicked her hard enough to cause internally bleeding. His hit just caused enough pain for her low pain tolerance level to kick in and knock her unconscious. She could survive for a while longer. If she went to check it out now, Tsuna would undoubtedly blame himself for whatever little damage the moronic monkey had done.

"Yes, we did," said Kyoko, the blush getting worse as she snuck another look at Tsuna. Scratch "taken a liking to" and replace with "fallen head over heels for." Tsuna was definitely a better choice than Tamaki, but Hana didn't think a relationship between her two best friends would work. The thought took her by surprise, but she should have expected it. The shy boy had long ago shown himself to be a good friend, so it had only been a matter of time before he made the "best" category in her heart. Speaking of Tsuna, she had expected him to be doing a bit of blushing of his own, given that the boy tended to be twice as shy when people were praising him. But instead the boy had a strange frown on his face.

"Did the brat do anything before he left?" asked Hana, directing the question to the unusually quiet baseball player.

"He said that he would reteach Tsuna," said Takeshi. "I don't know what though. Tsuna's way smarter than him."

And there was the blush Hana had been expecting. Something wiggled in Tsuna's jacket pocket. It poked its head out, revealing strange yellow eyes in an equally strange green head. The green thing then proceeded to climb out and onto Tsuna's shoulder.

"Tsuna, do you know you have a…green thing on your shoulder," said Hana, pointing to it. It could be confused for a lizard, but it was too pudgy.

"Oh, s-sorry. T-this i-is L-Leon," said Tsuna. He petted the thing which crawled onto his hand and back up his shoulder to lick the boy's cheek, making Tsuna smile.

"What is he?" asked Hana as the thing then crawled onto Tsuna's hair where the thing happily perched.

"H-he's a c-chameleon," said Tsuna. That thing did not meet the description of any chameleon Hana had heard of.

"You sure attract weirdoes," said Hana as the large yellow eyes blinked in synch with Tsuna's large brown eyes.

"Um, I think we should finish our lunch," said Kyoko. "We only have four minutes before the bell rings."

The two boys looked at each other before the baseball player grinned wider than normal and picked up his bento. The hazel eyes narrowed in challenge. Tsuna flickered his eyes between his own bento and the challenging eyes. Finally, he locked gazes again with the baseball player. Tsuna picked up his bento, and the two put their chopsticks into their food at the same time. At unheard signal, the two boys dug in their chopsticks and pushed the food into their mouths at an amazing speed. Deciding not to give the food race its well-deserved glare, Hana shifted to alleviate the throb at her side and ate her food at a more sedate pace. Tsuna rarely participated in such ridiculous pursuits, so she would let the boys have their fun. Next time though, she would correct the two before they started to devolve into monkeys.

* * *

><p>The boy walked briskly away, that angry line persisting in sitting along his shoulders. For the last week, the boy had refused to give Dino an acknowledging glance. Reborn was the only one on Dino's little bro's radar. Given the increase of injuries on the boy, Tamaki had started physical training with the famous hitman. When Dino had first arrived, Tamaki's complacent attitude had worried the Italian. The boy had not been bettering himself, preparing himself, to be boss. The boy had relied solely on Reborn and the Dying Will bullet to keep his subordinates in line. But now the boy was finally taking his training seriously. What had changed the boy's mind?<p>

"D-Dino-san?"

Dino grinned as he turned to the source of the question. An exact replica of the boy that had walked away stood nervously in front of the Chiavarone boss.

"Ciao, second little bro," said Dino, ruffling the small brunette's hair. "Off to Takesushi?"

"Y-yes," said the small replica. "D-did T-Tamaki-san i-ignore y-you?"

"Yep. He must have a lot on his mind," said Dino.

"That would require a mind," said the Kurokawa girl. "And that's one of the many things the moronic monkey king lacks."

"I don't know, Hana," said the Sasagawa girl. Dino wasn't sure when the cute girl had started hanging around this twin instead of the younger one, but both his little bros had good taste. "Tamaki's acting really strange—"

"Don't defend him," said the Kurokawa girl. "Sore losers don't deserve pity."

"Sore losers?" asked Dino.

"Yes, sore losers," said Kurokawa. "Why don't you ask him sometime when he gives you the time of day."

"Sorry, but me and Tsuna have to go," said the baseball player, Yamamoto Takeshi. "We're going to be late."

"I understand," said Dino, "but I was hoping to get a moment of your time."

"Why?" asked the Smokin' Bomb. He had good reason to be suspicious of a mafia boss asking to speak with the tenth Vongola's twin brother, especially when said twin brother had no real affiliation to the Vongola _famiglia_. Such a conversation could become dangerous for the stability of Vongola.

"Friday's October 13," said Dino. As expected, comprehension lit the young Mafioso's eyes, and confusion decorated the baseball player's and the two girl's faces. But Dino's second little bro had an unexpected look of surprise. "I wanted to ask you for help to prepare."

"Prepare what?" asked the Kurokawa girl.

"Reborn's birthday party," said Dino with a roughish grin.

"So the kid's birthday's coming up on Friday," said Yamamoto. "Sound's like fun. What do you want us to do?"

"Count me out. I don't like kids," said the Kurokawa girl.

"I wish I could go," said the Sasagawa girl, blushing for some reason and avoiding everyone's eyes, "but I-I'm busy on Friday..."

"What about you, little bro?" asked Dino.

"S-sure," said the cute replica with a crooked smile. "I-I…I t-think h-he'll l-like i-it."

"Good. Meet me here tomorrow after school," said Dino. The two boys nodded before the group of kids separated and went their own ways. Smokin' Bomb appeared from around a corner as soon as the others left. "Do you need something, Smokin' Bomb? You're welcome to help us with the preparations on Friday."

"Of course I'll help. It's an honor to prepare a celebration for Reborn-san," said the young Mafioso. "I…I wanted to ask you what you thought of the tenth."

"What I think of Tamaki?" asked Dino as he mulled over his options. The truth would probably not go over well with the teen, but Dino couldn't come up with a believable lie to save his life. Reborn had pounded that lesson into the blond several times. The hitman tutor had told Dino to either tell the truth or redirect the conversation. "I'm sure my little bro will certainly see the benefit of having such a great Mafioso as his right hand man in no time."

If Reborn would here, Dino would get a foot to his skull and the taste of granite. A kindergartner could see through that lie.

"You really think so?" asked Smokin' Bomb, eyes all but sparkling. Dino twitched at the young Mafioso's reaction and wondered at the Smokin' Bomb's blind spot concerning Dino's first little bro. The silver haired teen shook his head viscously. "Forget that. Do you believe the tenth is—no, will be—a good boss?"

"A subordinate, especially a right hand man, should never doubt his boss," said Dino. This time, the deflection would work. The Smkoin' Bomb thought of nothing but becoming Dino's little bro's right hand man.

"But I'm not his right hand man," said the teen. "Not yet."

Those two last words sounded tacked on and unsure. Dino observed the Mafioso closer. The green eyes didn't look straight at the blond mafia boss, as if the teen couldn't. The teen's hand remained fisted at his sides as he waited for Dino's answer. Dino did not have the legendary Vongola hyper intuition, but he could recognize a teen in turmoil.

"He's got potential," said Dino, opting with telling the truth. Best not to mention that there was more potential in his second little bro than his first. That information would make things worse instead of better. "And he has the best tutor the mafia world has to offer. What more can you ask for?"

"A boss I can follow to the ends of the earth," said the Smokin' Bomb. His voice sounded at the edge of breaking. "A boss who I can treat with respect. A boss that I can trust to be worth my life. Is…can the tenth be a boss like that?"

"I don't know," said Dino. Only the whole truth would work in this situation. "He could be. Like I said, he has potential. And lately, he has been acting on that potential more than before. But I cannot tell you what he will be. Only that right now, he is not that boss."

The teen's shoulders slumped further and further, but the young Mafioso did not look surprised.

"What about…," the teen started, hardly above a whisper. The teen bit his lip but then continued. "What about the tenth's copy?"

"My second little brother?"

The teen nodded slowly. This time, Dino refused to look at the teen. That question was one that the young mafia boss did not want to answer, not even to himself.

"He can't be a boss," said Dino, repeating the words his former tutor had told him. "He was not chosen."

"But if he was," said the teen in a firm tone. Green eyes had hardened in determination, and the young Chiavarone boss could not hide from the truth any.

"He would be a great boss."

* * *

><p>Takeshi sat across from Tsuyoshi, and the older man could feel the boy's determination on this matter. His son would not be moved on this.<p>

"So you want to have your fight with Tsuna, the fight we agreed to reserve as a measure of both of your training," said Tsuyoshi, voice hardening, "at a child's birthday party."

"Yep," said Takeshi, his grin crooked. So the boy did feel shame at the request. Still, he wouldn't budge.

"And whose idea was this? Yours or Tsuna's?" The sheepish grin was answer enough. "Did he agree?" Takeshi nodded. "So you agreed without asking your teachers."

"We're asking you now," said Takeshi, "and we think the kid would really like it."

"Really?" said Tsuyoshi. "And how old is this kid?"

"Hm," hummed Takeshi thoughtfully. "About as old as Tsuna's sensei."

That comparison…What did his son mean by that? Tsuyoshi would rather not ask, because he knew that the boys had been hiding information from him. Or specifically, Tsuna had been hiding information. Whenever "the kid" came up between the boys and their friends, Tsuna would interrupt and change the conversation, and Tsuyoshi had allowed the small brunette his secret. But this information could determine the course of later events, so Tsuyoshi could not leave the question unasked.

"Who is—"

"Fon-sensei!" The cry interrupted Tsuyoshi. "You said we wouldn't go in the dojo when they were training!"

"Don't worry," said Fon's calm voice. The great martial artist entered, his students trailing behind him. "They aren't training at the moment, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Master know, 哥哥'," said I-pin. The little Chinese girl sat in Tsuna's arms where she preferred to be when not training. Tsuna didn't look convinced, but he entered the dojo and took his place behind Fon.

"I assume that they told you about their plan," said Tsuyoshi.

"Yes, they did," said Fon. "What do you think of it?"

"I think that they shouldn't fight at a birthday party. Their fight is not for fun, but a testament to their skills. It should not be so casually viewed," said Tsuyoshi, watching as the faces of the two boys fell. Takeshi instinctively turned to Tsuna who shook his head glumly. Good to see that the two wouldn't go against their teachers' express orders. "But they could do a demonstration."

"A demonstration?" asked Tsuna. Takeshi and I-pin mirrored the smaller boy's confusion.

"That's what I was thinking as well," said Fon. "A choreographed fight?"

"Of course," said Tsuyoshi. I-pin muttered something in Chinese that the older Yamamoto couldn't understand.

"Choreographed? It's…it's kinda like dancing, I guess," said Tsuna, smiling down at the Chinese girl who looked more confused. "Like…like stances between two people. One moves in response to the other without meaning to hurt the other person."

"哥哥' Takexi dance?" asked I-pin in broken Japanese, and Tsuna sighed. He started to explain the difference between a choreographed fight and a dance.

"When did he learn Chinese?" asked Tsuyoshi quietly to the Chinese martial artist.

"He didn't," said Fon. "He learned I-pin."

"Must be why she calls him big brother," said Tsuyoshi, enjoying the conversation that had erupted between the three children about music and sounds. "Does he know enough Chinese to understand that?"

"No, he thinks it's his name," said Fon with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"So Dad," said Takeshi, interrupting both conversations at once, "we're going to pretend to fight like they do in the movies."

"No," said Tsuyoshi firmly. Confusion once again settled into the children's expressions. "Actors would not attempt the routine you will perform."


	12. Celebrating Two Births

Chapter 12: _Celebrating Two Births_

After the fifteenth time untangling his legs from Takeshi's, Tsuna understood what Yamamoto-san had meant when the experienced swordsman had said that actors would not attempt to perform this routine. The moves that the routine required were not for beginners. Fon had called them a level above advanced and left Tsuna wondering why Fon had agreed to this idea. Tsuna had trained with sensei for only a month. How could he do these advanced moves?

"Sorry, Tsuna. That was my fault," said Takeshi, scratching the back of his head.

"If you had been using Shigure Kintoki, you would have taken off his head," said Yamamoto-san in a severe tone. "Your apologies would not have been useless to him then."

"I-it's my f-fault," said Tsuna. "I-I s-should h-have s-sped u-up—"

"You can't keep covering for him," said Fon, his words calmly but swiftly cutting through Tsuna's own. "If he cannot follow your pace as you do his, the routine will not succeed."

Tsuna glanced at Takeshi who refused to look at the smaller brunette. Of all the people Tsuna had come to know in the past months, he felt like he could understand and rely on Takeshi the most. Somewhere along the line, the two had started to communicate without even saying anything. Sometimes, Tsuna thought he could almost do that with Gokudera too, but the silver haired teen always went back to being Tsuna's reluctant bodyguard instead of Tsuna's friend. But with Takeshi, all Tsuna had to do was lock eyes with the baseball player and the taller boy knew exactly what Tsuna needed or wanted. The same worked in reverse. So when Takeshi refused to look at Tsuna, the smaller brunette knew that the other boy didn't want Tsuna to know what the fledgling swordsman needed. But Tsuna could still make a good guess.

"The routine will be a success," said Tsuna, standing in front of his friend and shielding the baseball player from the disapproving gazes of the two teachers. The warmth spread across his body and echoed in his voice. "He will be able to match me, and I him. We will perform the Rain returning to the Sky perfectly."

"Let's see it then," said Yamamoto-san.

"Yes," said Tsuna as he looked back. His friend's hazel eyes looked widely, almost tentatively (because Takeshi was never really uncertain) at the small brunette. Tsuna kept those eyes on him as he took the starting stance. The body belonging to the hazel eyes followed, and Tsuna threw a leg out in a quick kick…

* * *

><p>...which the young swordsman sidestepped. The small brunette spun on his grounded leg to get the kick to connect, but Yamamoto Takeshi blocked it with his free hand and swung his sword to the left. Pushing against the block, the small brunette back-flipped away from the swing and at the same instant he aimed another kick at the young swordsman's face. The young swordsman leaned back and the kick missed by a millimeter as the sword nearly nicked the small brunette's sweatshirt. The small brunette fell into a crouch and pushed himself upward with his hands and into the young swordsman's guard. The young swordsman changed the grip of his sword and swung it back into himself to cut the other fighter's neck, but the small brunette twisted slightly to catch it in green Kevlar gloves and aimed a hand strike at the young swordsman's jugular. But the strike missed, the young swordsman bending his head backwards and using his body to unbalance the small brunette. The small brunette used the momentum of the young swordsman's backward fall to try to yank the sword out of the young swordsman's grip. The young swordsman countered by using his legs to trip the small brunette's, so the small brunette released the sword and flipped over the young swordsman. Yamamoto Takeshi stood from where he had slouched into a crouch and swung his sword at the small brunette's unprotected back, but once again his opponent dodged, this time by a well-executed spin.<p>

The fight had everyone at the party at the edges of their seats, including Reborn. He had heard of the beauty that higher skilled fighters could achieve in what could be degradingly called a "play fight." The outcome was certain, as were all the moves, so some thought that such a practice was stupid and had all but banned the practice. Those experts believed that the two fighters did not gain anything from these fights and that those skills were for fighting, not entertaining. But this "play fight" was stunning as it displayed both boys' fledgling skills. The two were not near being masters of their fields, but the moves that they were using were beyond most advanced students. However, it was the way the two worked together while fighting each other that impressed the hitman the most. The blows lacked no strength, held nothing back, but when Yamamoto moved in the wrong direction, Dame-Tsuna moved to match. When Dame-Tsuna took too long on a jump, Yamamoto swung his sword a little longer than necessary. And the match looked as intense as if the two boys were really fighting. In a quick, unexpected movement, the young swordsman stepped in close and cut too fast for another dodge. The sword found its way to the small brunette's side but was stopped by the same gloved hand as before. The young swordsman had an almost genuine expression of shock as the small brunette twisted and wrenched the sword out of the young swordsman's grip. At the same time, another hand strike came sideways for the young swordsman's neck, and the young swordsman flinched in anticipation of pain. But it didn't come. Instead, the hand stopped, an anguished look came on the small brunette's face, and the hand dropped. The small brunette stepped back and headed for the door, dropping the sword in the process. The young swordsman stood frozen, and the sound of clattering filled the air. The sword flew right above the ground before arching and catching the smaller brunette's sweatshirt. The force behind the sword pinned the smaller brunette against the wall. The smaller brunette didn't struggle as the young swordsman walked over from where the taller boy had kicked the sword.

"Why?" asked the young swordsman, grabbing the handle of the sword.

"Because," said the smaller brunette, "I can't hurt my brother."

Clapping filled the room as both boys bowed, Yamamoto with a giant grin and Tsuna with a flustered blush.

"I didn't know my Tsu-kun was such a good actor," said Nana. The boys had announced their "play fight" as a play for the woman's sake. The acting was not half-bad, but then Fon had always had a penchant for the dramatic.

"Those skills were impressive," said Dino. "If I didn't think Reborn would kill me, I would definitely recruit you two into my family."

"That's so sweet," said Nana, "but we already consider you part of our family."

"Thank you very much, _Mamma_," said Dino.

"So what's our score?" asked Yamamoto Takeshi, as Dame-Tsuna stabilized his breathing. Leon shifted back to chameleon form when the former weakling put his hands together. Reborn refused to dwell on Leon's decision to shift into gloves as a weapon for the former weakling, but the chameleon wouldn't let the thought be pushed away as the lizard sat on the boy's shoulder rather than returning to perch on Reborn's hat where he had been all evening.

"57 points," said Reborn.

"Only 57? Man, you're harsh," said Dino. "I would have given them something in the 90s."

"It's not your birthday," said Reborn. He wasn't encouraging Dame-Tsuna's disobedience.

"It's better than Gokudera," said the baseball player, swinging an arm around the former weakling's shoulder.

"I did mine by myself, so you only get half those points!" yelled Gokudera.

"You should have found a partner too," said the baseball player, enraging the bomber further. "Your firework act would have been cooler with two."

"T-those w-wer—"

"REBORN!" The yell interrupted the former weakling. Reborn frowned. He had hoped the brat would be distracted for longer. "Reborn! You better not be here you sadistic baby!"

The brat stomped into the room and turned a full glare at the hitman. The glare was more annoying than frightening. Reborn returned the boy a flat stare before dismissing his irritating student.

"Gokudera's was sufficient, but I expect more from a potential right-hand man than juggling lit dynamite," said Reborn.

"I would have done an escapist act if the baseball idiot would have come up with his own act," grumbled the bomber.

"You can't have Tsuna, he's my partner," said Yamamoto, gripping the smaller brunette's shoulder.

"Stop ignoring me!" yelled the brat. "What is going on here! How could you ditch me to go to a party!"

"Calm down, little bro," said Dino. "We didn't mean to exclude you." Reborn inwardly scoffed at his former student's naïveté. "You've just been busy, so we didn't get to invite you to Reborn's birthday party."

"It's the little monster's birthday?"

"Yes," said Reborn, widening his eyes and putting on his best "I'm-just-a-cute-baby" face. "Where's my present?"

"Who would get you a present?" yelled the brat. "Even if I knew that it was your birthday, I wouldn't waste time getting a monster a present."

"That's too bad," said Reborn, a thump later. He stood contentedly on his student's head which seemed made to meet the ground. "Because I have the perfect present for you to give me."

"Ged ob!" the brat managed to say. The hitman complied, more for his own reasons than to ease the brat's discomfort.

"So will you give me my present?" asked the hitman, again with his cute face.

"Fine, fine. Just don't look at me like that. That face gives me the creeps." How rude. This face was the envy of the entire mafia world. "What do you want?"

"I want Gokudera to be taken off his probation," said Reborn, still with the same face, just to annoy the brat.

"Gokudera?" said the brat, turning calculating eyes on the bomber. The silver haired Mafioso stiffened, but not with anticipation. He was too tense, and his face was frozen in medley of emotions. The silver-haired teen then glanced over quickly at the brat's brother. The former weakling gave a wide, utterly fake smile and then avoided everyone's gaze including the bomber's. The brat put on his own vicious, scheming smile. "That sounds like a great idea. And it would be an early birthday present for me too."

"Early birthday present? When's your birthday, little bro?" asked Dino, unaware to all the subtleties around him as was usual. Reborn should have forced his former student to bring along his subordinates.

"It's tomorrow," said the brat, making his way over to Gokudera. The bomber gave another glance, one of surprise, at the older twin, who received two more of the same sort from the baseball player and Dino. The brat continued on in his cocky attitude. Apparently, Reborn's second student was as oblivious as the hitman's first. "So what do you think? Want to make tomorrow my best birthday ever by joining my family?"

"Oh, Tamaki, he doesn't have to do that," said Nana, earning an irritated glare from the brat. "He's already part of our family by Tsu-kun."

"Yes," said the brat flatly, "but I want him to be part of our family by my side."

"Well if Gokudera-kun would like that," said Nana doubtfully. Reborn could tell that she didn't like what her youngest was trying to do.

"So what do you say, Gokudera," said the brat with complete confidence. "Ready to become an official part of my family?"

Nana frowned, and the baseball player's until now apathetic face twisted with anger and disgust. Reborn was disappointed that all his lessons on using persuasion instead of intimidation had produced that terrible attempt at using charisma. If the subject wasn't so easy, that attempt would have had the recipient running the other way. Gokudera bowed low and ceremoniously enough for his face to hide in shadow.

"It would be an honor to serve the tenth," said the bomber in neutral formality. The brat grinned at his "victory" over his brother. However, the older twin was not paying any attention to the brat; the former weakling's entire focus was on not looking at the bomber in a weak effort to hide his disappointment.

"Good," said the brat, all but crowing the word. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" asked Dino, keeping the brat from exiting the room.

"To my room. I gave the monster his present. I'm not staying to celebrate that monster's bir—ow!" Reborn wondered how many times the brat would end up in the same situation before the stupid boy would learn to respect his superiors.

"32 points," said Reborn, getting off the brat's head to place both his student's and the former weakling's markers, making sure the brat saw the difference in the two scores.

"32 points for what?" demanded the brat. "And why does Dame-Tsuna have more?"

"His presentation was better," said Reborn," so I liked his present better."

"Presentation? What a stupid way to grade," muttered the brat, getting up off the floor. "I don't care about your stupid game. And I'm taking tomorrow off. If you get your birthday off, than so do I."

Reborn looked back at the markers and considered placing the brat's marker higher. A day off from the continually whining brat sounded like one of the best presents so far. The hitman decided to leave the marker where it was, since the brat was doing it for himself and not Reborn. Smirking, Reborn decided to give himself a present and shoot the brat tonight. Making the brat run around the whole day in fear would be amusing, and Shamal had come to Japan. The doctor owed the hitman a favor or two, and there was always blackmail, so the Ninth wouldn't lose his successor. And maybe the brat would actually learn some respect. Unlikely, but even a hitman could dream on his birthday.

"So tomorrow's your birthday then, Tsuna?" asked the baseball player. His face had shifted back to its usual cheerful expression. "If I had known sooner, I'd have gotten you a present. I bet I could get you sushi though."

"M-my b-birthday's n-not t-tomorrow," said the smaller brunette.

"Don't be stupid. The tenth said his birthday was tomorrow," growled Gokudera.

"You are twins," said Dino, agreeing with the bomber.

"Oh that's right," said Nana, a slight blush decorating her cheeks. "Tsu-kun's ten minutes older than Tamaki."

"What do you mean, _Mamma_?" asked Reborn, wanting to confirm his suspicion.

"Tsu-kun was born at 11:55PM," said Nana, motherly pride infecting her tone, "14 years ago today."

Silence followed her declaration. After discovering the brat's birthday, Reborn had put it down as the birthday for both boys. Twins did not normally have different birthdays, but then few twins were as surprising as these.

"Why didn't you tell us when we were planning this, little bro?" asked Dino. "We would have made it a double birthday party."

"R-Reborn w-wouldn't h-have liked that," said Dame-Tsuna. "A-and i-it's n-not t-that i-important."

"Don't presume to know what I like," said Reborn as he leapt onto the boy's head. "We'll have to restart the party."

"W-what?" asked Dame-Tsuna, but Reborn kicked the boy lightly to keep him quiet.

"You have half an hour to come up with a present that would please both of us," said Reborn as Leon shifted into a stopwatch. "Starting now."

Used to Reborn's random requests, Dino sped off without a word. Gokudera stuck a cigarette in his mouth as he left the room in a complete-mission-mode manner. Yamamoto Takeshi rushed off as well, probably eager to redeem himself for not knowing the former weakling's birthday. Not knowing when a friend's birthday was bad enough in a regular friendship. The baseball player didn't consider Tsuna just another friend. More like a brother, especially considering the elder Yamamoto's growingly fatherly behavior to the small brunette. Iemitsu wouldn't approve of another man growing so close to the CEDEF leader's son. Reborn smirked and consider letting the information leak back to Italy. Never mind, the blonde idiot would find out soon enough.

"Y-you don't have t-to share your birthday w-with me," said Dame-Tsuna softly. Reborn could almost feel the heat from the boy's blush.

"Like I said before," said the hitman. "Don't presume to know what I like."

* * *

><p>Tsuna would have skipped down the stairs if he had not been so sure he would fall down them and break his neck. Yesterday had been the best birthday ever. Dino had given Reborn a new gun and Tsuna a pair of leather fingerless gloves with a comment about how surprised the blonde was that Leon had shifted for someone other than Reborn. Takeshi had given some blue tuna sushi to Reborn and had asked to stay over at Tsuna's in order to give the smaller brunette his present later. The present had turned out to be a promise to spend the day together and treat Tsuna to the arcade after school. Takeshi had said that the present was all he could come up with because he didn't have time for anything else. The taller teen was definitely not happy that Tsuna had not told them about his birthday. Gokudera had interrupted before the baseball player could say any more on the subject and had done another dynamite routine, this one with exploding dynamite. The living room would smell like smoke for a good six months. Before the silver haired teen had left, however, he had given the smaller brunette a stick of dynamite with a command that verged on plea to use it if ever necessary. And at that memory, Tsuna's whole mood plummeted.<p>

"Good morning, Tsu-kun," said his mother, smiling brightly at him. The sight cheered him up a bit, as it always did, but he couldn't regain the cheer he had as he had walked down the stairs. "Your present looks good on you!"

His mother had given him a thick chain that was a keepsake of his father. He had worn it for her sake, not _his_. In truth, Tsuna felt awkward with the chain around his neck, but his mother's happiness more than made up for the discomfort.

"Did you boys sleep well?" she asked.

"Yes," said Tsuna as he tucked the chain into his collar where it wouldn't be seen and hurried toward to the kitchen to start on his bentos. He hoped that the baseball player would sleep long enough for Tsuna to get an early start to school. The smaller brunette needed to get his "morning routine" done before the baseball player got there. After making the bentosand helping his mother prepare Tamaki's favorite breakfast, Tsuna grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the door. A sleepy eyed Takeshi met the smaller brunette at the entrance.

"Wow Tsuna," said the baseball player in a yawn. "You get up early."

"Y-you d-don't need to come with me," Tsuna said, trying to control his stutter. "W-we h-have a-an hour to get to school. Y-you should stay and eat my mom's breakfast."

"Nah," said Takeshi. "I promised to spend the day with you, remember?"

Unfortunately, he couldn't forget. The prospect of spending the entire day with his best friend would have had Tsuna glowing under normal circumstances, but if Takeshi hadn't liked Tsuna staying quiet about his birthday…

"I-it's o-okay. You spend m-most of the day w-with me most of the time a-anyway," said Tsuna. "A-and y-you have baseball p-practice."

"They won't mind if I skip one day. Besides, this's the best birthday present I could come up with, so you have to let me do it."

Tsuna thought furiously of a way to distract the baseball player as the two walked out of his house and turned onto the sidewalk. Gokudera stood as usual by the light post near the Sawada home. The bomber had a cigarette in his mouth and was diligently scanning the area.

"G-good morning, Gokudera-san," said Tsuna. The silver haired teen grunted, barely acknowledging Tsuna's presence. Tsuna reached into the bag that held all his _bentos_ and pulled out the one wrapped in red. "H-here you go."

"Keep it," said Gokudera roughly. Tsuna had been expecting that reply ever since Gokudera had learned that Tsuna made the bentos instead of his mother, but when the bomber had kept on taking them (under the pretense of not wasting the tenth's mother's ingredients), Tsuna had begun to hope that that reply would never occur. But there it was.

"Now, now," said Takeshi, throwing an arm around the bomber and surprising both the bomber and Tsuna. The baseball player had never done that to anyone but Tsuna before. "Tsuna got up really early to make that. It would be ungrateful to take it, and besides, what else will you eat?"

"I don't need charity," growled Gokudera, pulling away from the baseball player. Takeshi held the bomber's shoulders long enough to whisper something into the other teen's ear before letting go.

"Oh well, your loss. I'm sure that Kyoko-chan would love to taste Tsuna's food," said Takeshi brightly, contrasting the sound of his whispered words. "Right, Tsuna?"

Tsuna could only give a weak smile in reply. In his head, he had known that Tamaki would eventually give in and accept the bomber and had told himself hundreds of times not to get used to the bomber's presence. But Tsuna's heart hadn't listened to his head. How could he not grow fond of the silver haired teen? The bomber had almost died because of Tsuna. And the small brunette knew that Gokudera had trained as hard as Takeshi and Tsuna had so that that scenario would never happened again. Somewhere among the constant vigilance and rough manner of the surprisingly sensitive delinquent, Tsuna had grown to think of the bomber as a friend. And while part of Tsuna was happy that his friend had gotten what he wanted, the rest of Tsuna wanted the silver haired teen to change his mind. Even the heat grew cold at the thought of Gokudera as Tamaki's right hand man. The whole situation felt wrong.

Forcing his feet to walk away, Tsuna continued on the way to school. Takeshi followed quietly, and Tsuna didn't remember that he needed to distract the baseball player until the two were a block away from school.

"I-I f-forgot s-something," Tsuna said stopping a few feet away from the school entrance. He couldn't stop stuttering. Of all the tells in the world, his had to be the most obvious. He would never be able to tell a lie and get away with it.

"I guess we have to head back then," said Takeshi. Tsuna held back his surprise. How could the baseball player fall for such an obvious lie?

"I-It's o-okay," said Tsuna. If Takeshi believed the smaller brunette, then this might work. "Y-you s-stay h-here. I-It'll b-be faster i-if I—"

A blow physically cut Tsuna's words short as the small brunette leapt back. The object came back for a second time, and Tsuna avoided it again. The sleek weapon was aimed for his face today, and Tsuna did a low flip to avoid the biting metal. His opponent wasted no time in launching the next attack, but the slight pause was enough to catch the rhythm. Using the skills Fon had taught him, Tsuna stepped to the right and ducked. The tonfas sailed to the left and above him, and he spun. He leapt forward and then back. A duck, a sidestep, and then lean back. The rhythm changed slightly and then the beat sped up. Tsuna concentrated on following the current of the moves, despite the inherent irregularity of his opponent's attacks. Fon was right. The more Tsuna read his opponent's attacks, the less he expended energy. The wind didn't have to work to avoid blows. They passed through it or by it as it remained untouchable. Tsuna couldn't emulate his sensei's moves exactly, but he could imitate the style. I-pin favored Fon's Gyoza Ken, but Tsuna preferred his sensei's more basic style.

The strikes came harder and faster, and Tsuna could feel the frustration building behind the blows. He best fight back now before the anger overcame his opponent. The next strike was coming from the left, and instead of dodging, he caught the tonfa and pushed with his left leg to lessen the impact of the blow. He then pulled the tonfa toward him while swerving further left to evade the second tonfa. He used his left hand to strike at his opponent's neck, and the opponent dodged. Tsuna let go of the tonfa and struck again. The hit missed, and he had to quickly veer right. The strikes continued to come, and Tsuna dodged as he tried to put in a few hand strikes of his own. The rhythm became more and more clear and soon a few of his blows grazed his opponent. If not for Fon's stamina training, Tsuna would have collapsed by now. But his perception was sharpening. His strikes became more precise, and he lost less energy each blow. And then his hand connected to flesh. The school bell rang.

"Tomorrow, Sawada Tsunayoshi," said Hibari. Tsuna wanted to quiver under that bloodthirsty gaze, but he knew that that would be a bad idea. The last time he had done that, Hibari had come back at the small brunette full force. As Tsuna swallowed his fear, he struggled not to think about who he had been fighting. He could fight the dangerous prefect only when Tsuna separated the widely feared Hibari from his opponent. The mental separation had mostly worked and helped Tsuna defend himself in the daily matches Hibari demanded of the small brunette.

"We'd better hurry if we don't want to be late," said Takeshi, reminding Tsuna of his presence. Tsuna nodded and hurried towards the classroom. "Wait, Tsuna! What about what you forgot?"

"F-forgot?" asked Tsuna confused.

"Yeah, at your house," said Takeshi. The heat returned under his skin, and Tsuna could sense the anger coming from the baseball player. Tsuna gulped. Takeshi could be scary when he wanted to be.

"I-I'm sorry," said Tsuna. Another lie wouldn't work.

"Don't worry about it," said Takeshi. "We'll talk about it later. Hana wouldn't like us talking without her."

Tsuna wanted to pout but sighed instead. Hana would chew him out for keeping a secret like this and go into a long lecture about how he shouldn't keep this kind of thing from them. And judging from the wide grin on Takeshi's face, the baseball player knew exactly what the tall girl's response would be. When had Tsuna's best friend gotten so mean?


	13. Life's Little Gifts

Chapter 13: _Life's Little Gifts_

Hana took a nearby book (the thick science text was the only one she had bothered to bring to lunch on the roof) and waved it threateningly at the quivering brunette.

"If you ever want me to help you with your homework again," she said nearly hissing. "You will _never_ keep important information from us again."

"I-I'm s-sorry," said Tsuna hiding behind his hair. "I-I did tell you that H-Hibari wanted to fight with m—"

"_That_ is something else entirely," interrupted Hana. "And do not worry, we will get to that soon enough. Birthdays are not something that you keep from your friends."

"B-but i-it w-wasn't i-importa—"

"When's my birthday?" Hana asked, interrupting the small brunette again.

"April 20."

"Takeshi's?"

"April 24."

"Irie-kun's?"

"December 3."

"The idiot monkey's."

"September 9 ."

"Yamamoto-san's."

"April 1."

"Kyoko's."

"March 4."

"How would you feel if you didn't know when our birthdays were?" asked Hana as she pushed aside her surprise. She had gotten carried away asking about birthdays. Never had she expected him to answer each one without missing a beat. "If you couldn't celebrate the fact that we were born?"

The small brunette hung his head, and Hana could see that she was getting through to him. Time for the closing argument.

"Do you understand what you did now?" she said. "You took away our chance to celebrate. As your friends, we are happy that you were born, and not knowing when we are supposed to celebrate that makes us look like idiots."

"I'm sorry," the small brunette repeated, this time the apology sounding more genuine.

"An apology won't fix things," said Hana, ignoring the pitiful picture the small brunette made. The boy would keep on in this monkeyish behavior if she didn't stop him. "As punishment, you are not to make a single bento tomorrow."

"W-what?" Tsuna's expression changed from guilty to shocked and slightly horrified.

"And you can't ask your mother to do it for you," she said. "If she asks, you tell her that thanks to your own stupidity, you can't bring any bentos. And she can't make one either."

"Hana! He shouldn't go without eating lunch," said Kyoko as Tsuna sunk deeper into himself.

"He won't. I will bring him lunch as well as my own," said Hana. "And Takeshi can bring his own sushi."

The baseball player nodded. The stupid monkey can take care of himself (wherever he had run off to now), and Hana didn't need to worry about Kyoko, since the cute girl brought her own lunch. Tsuna had been too shy to ask the school's idol if she wanted him to make lunch for her. He probably thought that the girl would feel insulted if he did. The truth was that Kyoko had often thrown envious glances at Hana's lunches. However, Hana did not plan to help the cute girl get one of Tsuna's bentos. Best friend or not, Kyoko had come late to the party and had to solve her own problems concerning lunch.

"Alright," Tsuna said, sounding as if he was agreeing to his funeral. Only Tsuna would consider someone bringing him lunch for a change as a punishment. Hana knew she would have to work hard tomorrow morning to change his mind. Part one of Tsuna birthday present taken care of, Hana moved on to the next matter.

"As for Hibari," she said. The small brunette couldn't possibly shrink into himself anymore. "I believe I warned you not to let it go too far. Daily fights are exactly what I meant by 'too far.'"

"B-but H-Hibari w-wanted to fight," he said.

"Then tell him no," Hana said. "And don't start on any 'it'll help me grow stronger' nonsense. Serious fights once in a while are fine, but daily fights are another thing entirely."

"B-but—"

"No buts. And then you had the stupidity to keep it from us. Did you think that none of us would ever notice that the violent head prefect of our school was fighting you every morning," Hana said, covering up the fact that they hadn't noticed. Yes, she was angry that the smaller brunette had fought the dangerous prefect every day for the past week and had kept the daily fights from them, but she was more upset that she had not noticed. By the guilt flashing across the baseball player's face, Takeshi felt the same. If they didn't keep their friend in check, who would? "And what did you do to the stupid monkey that he didn't see these fights every morning?"

"Nothing," said the smaller brunette, uncurling himself a bit. "He knew."

"He knew?" said Hana, anger at the absent idiot monkey growing.

"Y-yes," said Tsuna. "He was always nearby, and he made sure to have a first aid kit and bandages in case I need them. B-but he didn't seem to like standing by watching while I fought, s-so I thought that you guys wouldn't want to see it either."

"So this is all the stupid monkey's fault," Hana muttered darkly. Wonderful. Another reason to let the stupid monkey have it when she saw him next.

"N-no," said Tsuna, always quick to defend the stupid monkey. "H-he was only trying to help. I'm the one—I didn't want you guys to worry."

"Then you won't keep going behind our backs," said Hana, drilling her point in with a glare. "And you will stop fighting that bloodthirsty prefect every morning."

"I-I can't."

"Oh," she said sarcastically. "And why not?"

"I just—"

"Say 'I just can't' or flash those eyes of yours at me, and you won't be allowed to bring lunch for a week," she warned. The small brunette hid behind his hair.

"H-Hibari will hurt Tamaki if I don't," he whispered.

"So? The brat should be able to take care of himself, and if not, then the kid that hangs around him will."

"No he won't," said Tsuna soft enough to be near inaudible. "Reborn won't stop Tamaki-san from having a fight with Hibari."

"I'm sure the kid has a good reason if he doesn't," said Takeshi. "Did Tamaki get Hibari mad at him or something?"

Tsuna shifted, and Hana narrowed her eyes.

"What did the brat do?" she asked.

"H-he…he promised Hibari a fight…," said the small brunette.

"Let me guess. He used you as a decoy," said Hana. She sighed. "And you keep fighting Hibari so he doesn't beat your brother to a bloody pulp for lying to him."

The silence proved that her guess was right. One of these days, she would take that twin of Tsuna's and make the moronic monkey king pay for all the trouble he had caused the smaller brunette.

"Hibari is violent and unpredictable," said Hana. "But he has his own twisted sense of honor. I have never seen him hit a girl, and he doesn't beat anyone who does not cross him either repeatedly or in a serious way…Though I have heard of some cases regarding Namimori hospital… The point is if you tell him one fight for your brother's, one more fight with whatever limits the violent prefect wants to set, then he will probably honor it. Better than you fighting him every day."

"I-I d-don't think that will work," said Tsuna, an ugly air of hopelessness surrounding him. "I-I d-don't think h-he wants to stop."

"It's better to try than to give up before you start," said Hana. "If not he's going to keep going until he beats you."

"H-he did," said Tsuna. Hana once again looked at the small brunette in shock and then resolved to have these kinds of inquisitions more often. That way she might make it through a whole one without every other answer surprising her. "Three days ago he broke through my guard and almost knocked me unconscious. Then he dumped me in the nurse's office. I thought he wasn't going to fight me again, but he fought me the next day."

That explained the extra bandages the small brunette had on three days ago and why he had almost come in the classroom late. How early did the brunette get up to make four bentos, fight prefects, and still make it to class on time?

"I don't think your plan's going to work, Hana," said Takeshi. "Sound like Hibari likes fighting Tsuna." The baseball player hummed a bit and cocked his head in the way he did when he was thinking deeply. Hana could almost see him analyzing the problem in the air. He grinned as he came to his conclusion. "And Tsuna likes fighting Hibari too."

"W-what?" said Tsuna.

"You looked pretty happy when you were sparring with Hibari," said Takeshi. The small brunette blinked and furrowed his brow.

"I…I don't think I do," said Tsuna, sounding unsure.

"Boys are such monkeys," said Hana, coming to the conclusion all over again. "What is it with males and having to throw their testosterone around? If you want to be friends with someone, just go up to them and talk to them normally."

"But doesn't Hibari hate crowds?" asked Kyoko.

"Exactly. Boys are morons," said Hana as she picked up the red wrapped bento. "If you want to be that dangerous prefect's friend so much, why don't you just go up and give him the stupid monkey's bento. It's not like it's doing anyone any favors here. And it's much healthier than fighting him every morning."

"H-Hibari would bite me to death if I tried to give him that," said Tsuna.

"He tries to bite you to death every morning, so you might as well," she said, handing the small brunette the bento and enjoying the small brunette's reaction.

"I-I don't k-know w-where he is," said Tsuna as he shook his head and tried to return the bento.

"Then hurry up and find him. We have ten minutes before we have to return to class," said Hana as seriously as she could.

"N-no, I d-don't w-want t—"

"Quiet, or I will bite you to death."

"HIIIE!" yelled Tsuna as the whole group turned to see Namimori's head prefect looming behind the small brunette.

* * *

><p>The roof was noisy again today. Usually, the head prefect would leave his perch and not punish the noisy herbivores since the sometimes herbivore was among them. But the noise was more annoying today, and he could hear his name repeated multiple times. He jumped from the top of the roof's entrance and landed a few feet away from the loud herbivores.<p>

"Quiet, or I will bite you to death," he said. The sometimes herbivore screeched. Hibari instantly flashed out his tonfas.

"W-wait, w-wait," said the sometimes herbivore. "I-I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean it!"

"Keep talking and I will bite you to death," said Hibari. The sometimes herbivore covered his mouth. The other herbivores had quieted as well. His job done, Hibari headed for the roof entrance door. Something grabbed his hand, and immediately his tonfa sailed over brown hair.

"I-I d-don't want to f-fight you now," said the sometimes herbivore, holding up one of Hibari's tonfas. The prefect looked at his left hand and saw that his second tonfa had been replaced with a red wrapped box.

"I-it's for you," said the sometimes herbivore as he handed the tonfa back. Hibari took the weapon back and stored the two tonfas instinctively. The sometimes herbivore would not be worth fighting now. "P-please enjoy it…"

Hibari lifted the box to eye level and recognized it as a bento. He had often seen the crowding herbivores eating and trading and sharing the food from these objects. The sometimes herbivore had returned to his crowd of herbivores and had started eating the food from his own bento. Hibari dropped the red wrapped box next to the sometimes herbivore.

"Don't give me unnecessary things," he said. The other herbivores had frozen under his gaze, but the sometimes herbivore gave the prefect a shaky smile.

"I-I w-want y-you to have it," said Tsuna, hiding behind that wild mane of brown hair. "I-I t-think…I-I've never seen Hibari eat anything for lunch."

"I eat when I want to," said Hibari.

"O-oh," said the strange herbivore. He looked like a small injured animal. Hibari did not like that look on his opponent.

"I don't like red."

The phrase made the sometimes herbivore stare and Hibari wanted to bite that stupid expression off the herbivore's face. The sometimes herbivore smiled again and unwrapped the bento, revealing a white box. He then rewrapped it in an orange cloth that had rested under the herbivore's own bento. He offered it to Hibari.

"N-now it's n-not r-red," the sometimes herbivore said. The small animal expression had changed from injured to expectant. Hibari glared at the sometimes herbivore, who quivered, and then took the bento. Turning quickly, he exited the roof, but he could hear the sounds of the other herbivores restarting their noisy chatter.

"Wow," said one of the females. "Tsuna-kun can do the impossible."

Hibari glared at the orange bento in his hand. He would figure out the mystery that was Sawada Tsunayoshi, and then Hibari would bite the strange herbivore to death twice for causing so much confusion.

* * *

><p>Nana put the last streamer up.<p>

"There. It's perfect."

"It better be," said Hana. "Takeshi can distract him at the arcade for so long. Tsuna's not that into wasting money on video games he can play at home."

"Yes, but maybe that's because Tsu-kun's never had anyone to play with," said Nana. The tall girl said nothing, but Nana could tell the words upset Hana-chan. "Tsu-kun's going to be so surprised! Thank you so much for letting us have his party here, Yamamoto-san."

"I told you that you can call me Tsuyoshi," said the sushi chef. "Hearing 'Yamamoto-san' from you makes me feel really old. It's bad enough when the kids say it."

"Alright, but then you have to call me Nana," said the woman, pleased that this man had taken such an interest in Tsuna. She always regretted that Iemitsu and her eldest didn't get along well.

"哥哥' here!" yelled the little girl called I-pin. Nana ducked behind the counter as Tsuyoshi-san turned the lights off. The woman had dreamed of throwing a party like this for her eldest. Since Tamaki's birthday was the day after Tsuna's, Tamaki had always compared his party to Tsuna's and demanded bigger and better for his own birthday. Tamaki had more friends, so making her youngest's party better was not hard. But Nana had not enjoyed toning down what little she could do for her eldest to please her youngest, even if Tsuna was happy with whatever she managed to do.

On the year the boys turned nine, she had forgotten her eldest's birthday all together in her plans for her youngest's party. Tsuna had not made a fuss, and as awful as Nana felt, she could not undo her mistake. And then every year after had been a repeat of that ninth brithday. Tsuna never made Nana feel a speck of guilt for the recurring neglect, but Nana had felt like a failure every year regardless. And this year should have been different. This year her youngest wanted to throw a party his own way, so she had not had to worry about Tamaki's party. She had wondered what kind of party involved strange skull tattoos and hiding in his room for hours until a strange man had appeared at sundown, but her youngest embodied that eccentric adolescent age more than her eldest did. But even though she could have put her effort into celebrating her eldest's birthday, she had completely forgotten _again_ and had thrown her efforts into Tamaki's strange tutor's party. Her mother had often warned that bad habits stuck harder than any glue. And when the fact of Tsuna's birthday had come out, she had been glad that her efforts with Reborn's party had also gone towards her eldest. But this party, which Tsuna's friends and Nana had helped plan just for Tsuna, would be ten times better.

"Surprise!" they all yelled as Nana's sweet-tempered son entered the room.

"HIEEE!" Tsuna shrieked as he jumped. "W-wha—w-why? I-is T-Tamaki-san—"

"Don't even think it," said Hana-chan. "I would not be here for the moronic monkey king, and I had hoped you would know better than that."

"This party's all for you Tsuna," said Takeshi.

"哥哥' birthday!" said I-pin, jumping into the small brunette's arms. Tsuna caught the little girl with practiced ease and stared at them all with wide eyes.

"A-a party f-for me?" asked the small brunette, and Nana could see her little boy. She had done so wrong by him.

"Yes, it's a party just for Tsuna," said Nana, ruffling the soft brown hair.

"B-but my birthday was yesterday," the brunette protested.

"And we would have thrown you the party yesterday," said Hana, "if we had known."

The small brunette gulped and didn't say another word. Tsuna had such good friends.

"So what do you want first, food or presents?" asked Takeshi.

"P-presents?"

"Of course," said Tsuyoshi-san. "What's a birthday without presents?"

The small brunette's eyes widened, and the sight made Nana want to cry. A birthday without presents was a normal birthday for Nana's eldest. She had worse than failed him; she had wounded him in a way only a mother can. She moved to hug her boy, but Takeshi-kun swung an arm around the small brunette first.

"And this is mine," said Takeshi giving Tsuna a flat cloth object.

"B-but you just won this at the arcade," said Tsuna as he stared at the object.

"Yep, but I only got it 'cause I saw you looking at it. It'll look cool on those gloves Dino gave you."

"Yeah, they would," said Tsuna tilting the object so that Nana could see it. It was an iron-on patch shaped like a roaring lion.

"I'm glad you like it 'cause I got you two," said Takeshi, taking an identical object from his pocket. Tsuna took the second with an almost reverential awe.

"How did you—?"

"The baseball throwing game was really easy," said Takeshi.

Before Tsuna could comment on his friend's baseball skills, a wrapped box was pushed into his hands.

"This is from me," said Tsuyoshi-san. "It would be from both me and Takeshi if we had had time to talk about it."

Tsuna blushed at the admonition and opened the dark blue box. A lovely emblem lay inside, hung on an orange band. Nana got right behind her son to take a closer look at the emblem.

"What is it?" she asked, mirroring the confusion on her son's face.

"It's real special," said Tsuyoshi-san. "Me and Takeshi both have one like it."

"Is it a family emblem or something?" asked Nana.

"No," said Tsuyoshi, "It's unique. There is only one. Ours are a bit different."

"Why?" asked Nana.

"It's a secret," said Takeshi, taking his arm off the smaller brunette. "But I agree, Dad. I think that's perfect for Tsuna."

"Since you're not going to tell us, we might as well move on. This one's from Kyoko and me," said Hana. Tsuna put the patches and emblem in his pockets and took the fairly large wrapped box. Then carefully he peeled away the wrapping and revealed a set of arm and ankle weights. "I heard that martial artists use those to help them train, so we thought that they might work for you."

"When they are used properly, they can be of great aid," said Fon. The martial art master leapt from where he had been perched on the sushi counter. A white monkey with a heart shaped face clambered onto Tsuna's shoulder before diving into Tsuna's shirt.

"Lichi, stop!" said Tsuna as giggles and snorts erupted from the small brunette. The cute monkey continued to tickle the boy.

"He's upset that your party is a day late and that you spent your day with another special animal," said Fon. Perhaps he was talking about Reborn's pet? "The present from I-pin, Lichi, and me is over by the table."

The cute white monkey stuck its head out of Tsuna's shirt, apparently done with its punishment. After recovering his breath, Tsuna followed the martial art master to a table set in the middle of sushi restaurant with several different dishes and a lovely cake that Nana had worked on since that morning. And there next to the cake stood a red box.

"It came late," said Fon. "It was supposed to arrive yesterday."

"Yesterday?" said Tsuna before he looked at the martial art master in shock.

"I like to know my students' important days," said Fon. He jumped gracefully onto the table. "I hope you enjoy it."

Tsuna lifted the box's lid and froze. A bit of deep blue peeked out from the box, and Tsuna stared at it.

"Don't tell me you got him that," said Tsuyoshi, prompting all of the rest to lean forward and try to make out what was in the box. Tsuna obliged them and slowly lifted a beautiful light blue cloth with delicate orange embroidery. "I thought you only gave that to your students."

"Yes," said Fon. "And Tsuna is my student, even if only temporarily."

"F-Fon-sensei, I—is this?" asked Tsuna.

"Yes, it is," said Fon with an amused smile. "I expect you to wear it next time we practice."

"Thank you, Fon-sensei, I-pin," said the small brunette. Tsuna extended his gaze to take in all of them. "Thank you all so much."

Nana had not known that her Tsu-kun had such a gorgeous smile. Her own returning smile faded at the thought that she could have found out much sooner.


	14. Lost

Chapter 14:_ Lost_

The staring contest between Hana and Tsuna was getting intense. Takeshi moved to separate the two, but the nervous fear in Tsuna's expression hardened into a growingly familiar determination.

"I needed to bring it," said the smaller brunette.

"No you didn't," said Hana. "You had specific instructions. No bentos today. And what do you do? You bring that."

The now empty purple bento sat accusingly in Tsuna's arms. Tsuna squeezed it in an obvious show of refusal to give it up. The few of the other people still in the classroom gave the three curious glances, but even without Gokudera, they didn't come any closer.

"It was…Hibari doesn't ever eat lunch. And since he ate the bento I gave him yesterday I thought—"

"You'd make our violent prefect another one," said Hana. She sighed. "Fine. I hate to waste food."

"Thank you, Hana-chan," said Tsuna with his warm smile.

"Not so fast," she said cutting him off. "You'll have to accept your punishment for bringing that."

"P-punishment?" said Tsuna.

"You can't bring any more bentos to school for the rest of the week," she said, "Except for maybe our violent prefect's. He might get more violent if you don't."

"Did you give it to him this morning?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna tensed and nodded.

"What did we tell you about fighting him?" demanded Hana.

"I need to," said Tsuna, a slight orange sheen in his eyes.

"I hate when you say things like that," said Hana. "And I suppose that idiot monkey's still just standing by and giving you bandages after that violent prefect beats you within an inch of your life."

Takeshi quickly exchanged glances with Tsuna, and Tsuna pleaded to keep Gokudera's decision to go with Tamaki a secret from Hana a while longer. Takeshi didn't think it was a good idea, but the baseball player knew that Tsuna hoped (though the small brunette might not realize it himself) that Gokudera would return. The baseball player knew that Tsuna shouldn't worry about it so much. Gokudera would see the truth about Tamaki, and Gokudera would return to Tsuna. The only question was how much time it would take.

* * *

><p>Another puff of smoke floated to the sky as Gokudera waited for the tenth to finish meeting with the teacher. The tenth's grades had been falling steadily the last few weeks, and the teacher had decided to try and reason with the teen in hopes of convincing him to put more effort into his studies. Gokudera had offered to help the tenth with his studies, but the tenth had said he was not one for studies. He had insisted that what happened in the Meiji era of Japan had no practical value in everyday life, let alone mafia business. Gokudera had bitten his tongue as five ways that that information was important had crossed the bomber's mind. The tenth had made clear that he did not like subordinates disagreeing with his opinions.<p>

"Time to go, Octopus head," said the tenth as he sauntered out of the room. From the glimpse that Gokudera could see of the teacher through the doorway, she had put her head in her hands in frustration. Gokudera bit his tongue to keep from offering to help the tenth with his studies again. The tenth should not have lower grades than the copy. A large difference between the twins' scores could give someone fodder to claim Dame-Tsuna as the better heir. Gokudera's stomach grumbled.

"It's feeding time for the puppy again," quipped the tenth. "I'm hungry too, so we can stop at home to get some snacks before heading over to headquarters." He smiled slyly as a familiar figure passed in front of them. "Wait. I have a better idea. Hey, Kensuke!"

The kendo captain stopped immediately at the tenth's call. Not to do so would end in trouble.

"Guess what, Ken-chan," said the tenth as they got closer to the petrified teen. "I'm hungry. What are you going to treat me to today?"

Gokudera buried his disappointment. He had wanted to go get some of the tenth's mother's cooking despite it not being as good as…He clenched his fists and pushed the thought away. He had to remain loyal to the tenth.

"I-I have to finish kendo practice," said Moshida, "but as soon as I'm done—"

"But I'm hungry now," said the tenth in a tone Gokudera had gotten used to hearing with that voice in the last week.

"I-I have some money for the vending machines."

"I don't like what they have," said the tenth, crossing his arms. He glared at the kendo captain. "You have five minutes to finish your practice."

"F-five minutes!" cried the kendo captain.

"Four," said the tenth, "and how many seconds, Gokudera?"

"Thirty-seven seconds," said Gokudera, wishing he felt more pleased that the tenth trusted the bomber to do the calculations for the short brunette.

"And counting," said the tenth. The kendo captain scurried away. The tenth grinned and headed for the exit.

"Shouldn't we wait for him, tenth?" asked Gokudera. A question could not be taken as a contradiction.

"Nah. He'll catch up or he won't. I just like to see him scramble." Gokudera gave no response as the tenth continued towards the exit. The bomber turned away from the door where the kendo captain had disappeared and followed his boss. As the two went out of the school, Gokudera saw a wild puff of brown hair. The tenth's hair was just as wild, but it lacked the softness of the one bobbing on the other side of the second story classroom window. A pang of longing shot through Gokudera, but he ignored it as he had the multitude of similar pangs. The bomber could not—would not return to being the copy's bodyguard, not now after he had reached his goal. He should be thankful and proud that he was not only part of Vongola _Famiglia_, but the future tenth Vongola boss's right hand man. Or he would be. The tenth had not yet proclaimed Gokudera as right hand man.

The two turned right instead of left at the florist shop, and Gokudera knew the tenth had completely forgotten about the snacks. They were headed directly for the headquarters of the tenth's off-shoot branch of Vongola. Reborn had explained that the group of wannabes was merely practice for the real things, so Gokudera was to assume command whenever possible as the tenth's right hand man. The bomber had striven to prove himself and had organized the medley of random delinquents into ranks and more balanced groups. The tenth had rewarded the bomber by entrusting Gokudera with more responsibility.

"Ciaossu," said Reborn appearing from nowhere as usual. The tenth stepped behind Gokudera.

"I have business at the base!" exclaimed the tenth. "I can't train today."

"So you want to lose to Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.

"That was a fluke," said the tenth. "It won't happen again."

"It will," said Reborn. "He's stronger than you."

The tenth snorted. "No, he's not. Right, Gokudera?"

Gokudera stiffened, and a long pause hung in the air.

"The tenth is strong," said Gokudera, evading the topic of the copy's strength.

"What was with that pause?" said the tenth angrily. "Maybe I should make Kensuke my right hand man."

Gokudera's heart quickened and threatened to stop. Those words should have lost their effect by now. The tenth had repeated them several times in the last day alone, but the bomber could not help but react to them. He feared that one day they would be true. Or perhaps he was confusing fear for hope.

"A good right hand man would not lie to his boss," said Reborn.

"Exactly," said the tenth.

"So he lied about you being strong," said Reborn.

"That's not it! He wasn't lying about that!"

"You're right. He wasn't lying," said Reborn. "But he never said you were stronger than Dame-Tsuna."

"But that's what he meant," said the tenth crossing his arms. "Right, Gokudera?"

Before the bomber could even react to the question, the famous hitman had kicked the short brunette in the head, and the tenth had hit the sidewalk hard.

"Tenth, are you alright?" asked Gokudera, doing a quick check for injuries.

"Don't baby him," said Reborn, glaring at the bomber. Gokudera backed away and let the hitman do his work. The relationship between tutor and student was as strained as normal. The tenth had complained that Reborn was always finding new ways to torture the short brunette, forcing the tenth to find new ways to escape. The rapport differed greatly from the copy's own with—Gokudera bit his lip on an attempt to avert his thoughts again.

"Maybe I should get Dame-Tsuna to give you a good beating and motivate you to train a second time," said Reborn.

"Dame-Tsuna couldn't motivate a cat to lick itself," said the tenth ignorantly. The copy could motivate the baseball idiot to ditch practice and the wench to stop one of her interrogations. "And if he tried to beat me, he's the one who would end up crying."

"Like you did last time," said Reborn.

"It was a fluke! And I didn't cry!" yelled the tenth.

"Why don't we ask Gokudera? He was there," said Reborn, surprising both boys. "He could tell us the truth."

The tenth turned towards Gokudera with an accusing look. The bomber prepared to bow in apology for his affront, but Reborn stopped him by pointing a finger in the bomber's face.

"So tell us. And remember, the right hand man tells his boss the truth," said Reborn. Gokudera knew that the tenth would not like the truth, but he had no other recourse. The hitman could easily contradict the bomber and set the record straight. And Gokudera had hoped to impress both the tenth and the world's greatest hitman.

"I saw the fight," said Gokudera looking down the road and away from the tenth. "I was guarding the perimeter to protect the copy as you commanded me. I heard sounds of fighting, and so I hurried back onto the roof. There I saw you fighting with the copy." Or rather the bomber had seen the tenth attacking the copy, and the copy skillfully dodging all the tenth's attacks. "And I saw when the copy pinned you against the fence."

"Why didn't you stop him?" asked the tenth. "You are supposed to be my right hand man."

"Are you saying that I am your right hand man?" asked Gokudera, dread and hope rising in his chest.

"No," said the tenth. "But if you really wanted to be, you would have stopped Dame-Tsuna from winning."

"He was following orders," said Reborn. "You told him to protect Dame-Tsuna."

"No I didn't. You did!" cried the tenth. "I wanted nothing to do with the stupid octopus headed puppy!"

The insult hurt Gokudera, but the fact the hitman didn't refute the tenth's statement hurt more. The tenth had really wanted nothing to do with the bomber, and the whole mission with the copy had been faked. And Gokudera was not surprised.

"We should head for the base," said Reborn, hopping off his student's head and onto a nearby wall. "You shouldn't leave your subordinates waiting."

The two continued on to the base, but Gokudera could not bring himself to look at his boss again. The bomber was too scared that he would see someone else in the tenth's face.

* * *

><p>Kaido sat on his perch high on the stack of crates. The boss was late starting the daily meeting, and Kaido couldn't be more bored. The others were milling around and keeping their distance from Kaido. The albino would have picked one to terrorize, but they all had on such delightful expressions of fear from merely one of his glances that he couldn't pick just one. And then the perfect target ran through the door.<p>

"Rai, Taro, Konai!" yelled Mochida as he hurried through the crowd. Kaido slipped through the crowd to get behind Mochida and made many faces quiver as the albino passed. "You won't believe what I heard!"

The three idiots turned to the fourth when they noticed the albino lurking behind the kendo captain and backed away. Mochida saw their collective movement and stopped. Slowly, he turned around.

"Boo," said Kaido. A deliciously terrified expression stretched across the cowardly captain's face. Mochida's legs quivered and gave out beneath him as he saw the blade shimmering close to his neck. He nearly cut his chin on it as he fell. Kaido crouched and twirled the knife in front of Mochida's face.

"You should be careful friend," said Kaido. Mochida tried to back away from the albino, but the captain's legs would not work properly. The stocky teen fell back.

"Go on, tell us what you heard," said Kaido, crouching down and tapping the knife against one of the quivering calves. No sense overdoing things, though he couldn't help sliding the knife down to the ankle. The big strong kendo captain was now shaking so hard he couldn't so much as talk. "Was it not that important? I'll have to cut you for raising false hopes then."

"The boss lost!" the kendo captain shouted, earning the whole rooms attention. While the fact was interesting, Kaido wanted to play with his victim more before addressing it.

"And how do you know this?" asked the albino, sliding the knife back up and poking the knee.

"P-please s-stop," said the kendo captain. "I-I'll tell you everything. A-and then you can play with boss!"

Kaido considered his options as he traced circles on the captain's knee. The kendo captain nearly looked about to faint. Honestly, Mochida was so easy that Kaido should be bored, but those quivering lips and twitching fingers would never be boring. But no, the albino was getting distracted. The offer of playing with boss sounded entertaining. To see that flaccid face stretching into various expressions of fear. Oh, the images that the albino could create with such a specimen. Yes, making those images a reality would be worth letting Mochida alone for right now. The albino could always play with the captain later. But first, Kaido pushed the knife deep enough to draw blood. Mochida yelped.

"So," said Kaido too deep to be cheerful, "the boss lost?"

* * *

><p>The subordinates all sat around wearing amused faces, even those close to Kaido. Reborn did not like what this atmosphere suggested. The sea of grins did not bode well. Before, the faces had always held seriousness and an edge of fear. Something had happened in the last day to change their view of the brat.<p>

"Alright, guys. Reports," said the brat as he sat at the only chair in the warehouse. Gokudera moved to stand beside the brat. The kendo captain then came forward with a cocky grin.

"And if I don't want to," said the kendo captain. "What are you going to do about it?"

The brat stood, eyes narrowing at the challenge.

"You know what will happen," said the brat. "Give me your report."

"You don't scare me," said the kendo captain. "Anyone who lost to Dame-Tsuna had to be a total loser."

"What! Where did you hear that?" yelled the brat. "Who would tell you such a lie?"

"I overheard you talking to your 'right hand man' and your baby tutor," said the kendo captain, lacing every word with mockery. "About how Dame-Tsuna, the weakest kid in school, beat you and left you hanging from a fence."

"I heard that kid can't even go up past the third level of the vaulting horse," said a bleached haired teen.

"A kid like that beat boss. How shameful," said a dreadlocked teen with a smirk.

"Very shameful," said an older, bald teen with a beard.

"He beat you three long before he sparred with me," said the brat. The smugness on various faces turned to surprise. Words like "spar" and "beat" and "when" and "how" whispered around the room.

"So the three idiots have met this 'Dame-Tsuna'?" asked Kaido. "When?"

The brat paused, confusion painted across his face.

"I don't know," said the brat. "But they have met him before. Am I right, Reborn?"

The hitman wondered at the brat's sudden insight. Perhaps the Vongola blood was not as buried as the hitman had thought.

"Dame-Tsuna and his friends were the ones who prevented the capture of the storage device," said Reborn, keeping a closer eye on Gokudera's reaction than the brat's. The bomber instantly understood and became as stiff as board.

"His friends? Since when does Dame-Tsuna have friends?" asked the brat.

"Did you not see the others on the roof when you were 'sparring'?" asked Reborn.

"You're trying to get me to believe Kyoko's friends beat my subordinates."

"I'm not trying anything," said the hitman. If the brat didn't want to believe Reborn (the brat had to work on his horrid observation skills), then why should the hitman do anything to convince the brat? Unfortunately, the brat would get mobbed here if the useless junk the brat had collected lost their fear of the short brunette. And then Reborn would have failed to complete the ninth's orders. "You can ask Gokudera if you don't believe me."

"Gokudera?" said the brat. The bomber grew tenser as the brat finally connected the dots. The brat stared at Gokudera wide-eyed. "You were there?"

"Yes," said the bomber emotionlessly. "I was protecting the copy."

"So did Dame-Tsuna and his girlfriend really stop the three idiots from completing the mission?"

"The copy stopped Konai Mitsuhiko," said the bomber. "Yamamoto Takeshi knocked Taro Mako unconscious."

"Yamamoto Takeshi," said the brat. "I remember him on the roof now. That suicidal moron interrupted our fight. Figures the suicidal moron's with Dame-Tsuna. He attracts all kind of idiots. And what about Rai?"

"I took care of Rai Kito."

"So you defied me more than once in favor of my—of Dame-Tsuna," said the brat. "You will have to prove your loyalty to me."

"I will do whatever you ask," said the bomber robotically as he bowed. The brat grinned.

"Beat up Dame-Tsuna," said the brat. Gokudera's head shot up from the bow. "It is the only way you can prove that you are truly loyal to me."

"No."

The single word rippled silence through the room as everyone stared at the bomber. The bomber himself looked surprised at the answer.

"No?" asked the brat. "Do you not want to prove your loyalty to me? You would throw away a chance at being my right hand man? For what? That worthless idiot?"

Gokudera said nothing, but the surprise hardened to a much sharper expression. He bowed once more and headed for the exit.

"Where are you going?" demanded the brat. Similar questions were called out, but the silver haired bomber ignored them all. Gokudera didn't look back as he exited the room. The hitman wished he could go with the silver haired boy.

* * *

><p>The door opened, but he remained in his bow and pressed his forehead further into the floor.<p>

"G-Gokudera-s-sa—"

"Please!" Gokudera shouted, drowning out the article of respect that he didn't deserve. "Forgive me!"

"W-what? W-why—?" said the co—Tsuna. "G-Gokudera-san, i-it's m-me, D-Dame-Tsuna."

"I know," said the bomber, swallowing the guilt that followed both the prefix and that nickname. How could he have called this person such a thing so carelessly? "Your hair is 3 fourths of an inch shorter than the te—Tamaki-san."

"T-Tamaki-san?" asked Tsuna, and Gokudera banged his head on the floor as the bomber nodded. "W-what h-happened?"

Gokudera wanted to sink through the floor, not because of the question but because of the stutter. This person should not need to stutter around him. The bomber cursed his stupidity. He had let himself be blinded by the promise of being the Vongola tenth's right hand man that he had not seen what was right in front of him. And he had continued ignoring the truth about what, who, he had abandoned. Only when the tenth—Tamaki had commanded Gokudera to harm Tsuna. The break between who Tamaki was and who Gokudera had imagined the younger twin to be became apparent. The disillusionment had confused Gokudera in its suddenness (but it wasn't really sudden, was it?), and the bomber had fled. But the truth had haunted him. The baseball player had been right. Gokudera had chosen the wrong team.

"G-Gokudera-san," said Tsuna, bending down to meet the bomber's eyes as Gokudera lifted his head at the abrupt movement. Gokudera froze, caught between the desire to break the gaze and stare back at the floor and the inability to look away from those clear, brown eyes. More than how long their hair was, what distinguished one twin from the other were those eyes. In Tamaki, those eyes were shadowed and dismissive to all that did not benefit the younger twin. But these eyes… "A-are y-you o-okay?"

The guilt finally overwhelmed the draw of those eyes, and Gokudera tore his gaze away from them. How could this person ask such a question? Did this boy not realize what Gokudera had done?

"Y-you s-should g-get up," said Tsuna. "T-Tamaki w-will b-be—"

"I made a mistake," said Gokudera.

"M-mistake?"

"I chose wrong."

"I-I'm sure t-that i-it'll be o-oka—"

"No it's not," yelled Gokudera. The bomber stood staring at the small brunette who had shrunk into himself at Gokudera's shout. Gokudera bit back a curse and stepped off the porch. He shouldn't have come. He would return to Italy and continue to work as a freelance assassin. No one would take him after he walked out on the future tenth Vongola boss. A tug on his sleeve stopped him.

"W-wait," said the small brunette. "W-walk to s-school with me?"

The bomber froze again. Those words were the closest to an actual request he had gotten from the small brunette. The only other thing that came close was the offer to call the small brunette Tsuna. Hope fluttered, and Gokudera could not bring himself to say no. But he didn't deserve to say yes.

"P-please," said Tsuna in his softest voice. "I-I've m-missed y-you."

A loud crash came from inside the house. The two turned to see a mess on limbs groaning at the foot of the stairs and Reborn on top. The hitman leapt off, and a head appeared as the limbs straightened out. A wild look of anger crossed the face as it spotted Gokudera.

"There you are," growled Tamaki, standing and stomping past Tsuna. "Do you know what you did? I had to fight off ten guys, including Kaido, before they could take me seriously. If you had just agreed to the mission, no one would have questioned my authority."

"Good morning. Leon wants to go with you today," said Reborn, calmly walking to the smaller brunette and ignoring his furious student.

"O-oh. T-thank y-you," said Tsuna, letting the green chameleon crawl onto his arm.

"Don't give him that!" said Tamaki. "What if they start rioting again!"

"Leon wants to go with Tsuna," said Reborn. "So you'll have to deal with it."

"How am I supposed to 'deal with it'?" demanded Tamaki. "Forget it. You have to come fix your mess, Octopus Head!"

"No," said Gokudera. "I resign."

"R-resign?" the brattier brunette spluttered. "You can't resign! How else will you be my right hand man?"

"I'd rather be Tsuna-sama's slave than your right hand man!" shouted Gokudera.

"T-Tsuna-sama? S-slave?" the brattier twin continued to splutter. "You want to be Dame-Tsuna's slave? How could I have ever considered you for my right hand man? That's pathetic."

Tamaki entered the house and prepared to slam the door, but Gokudera held it open. The bomber glared at the one who now looked like the pathetic copy. How could the bomber have ever seen otherwise?

"Should you send someone else to hurt Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera, his voice low so that the smaller brunette would not hear, "you will not live to regret it."

"Whatever," said the pathetic copy, no the moronic imitation, trying to sound indifferent although his legs were shaking. "Now get out of my sight."

"Che. As if I want to look at a moronic immitation like you," said Gokudera.

"M-moronic i-imitation," the bratty twin spluttered again. Gokudera closed the door on the shocked face. The smaller brunette stared at Gokudera as if Tsuna had never seen the bomber before.

"You know. I don't need a slave," said the smaller brunette. Gokudera felt his body sag, but by sheer will he remained upright. This was one rejection the bomber knew he deserved. A hand on his shoulder brought Gokudera's focus back on the one person he felt he could have served, mafia or not. "But I would like my friend back."

The smile that sat on the smaller brunette's face lit up Gokudera's whole world.


	15. How We Get Along

Chapter 15:_ How We Get Along_

"Where have you been?" demanded Hana. Tsuna and Takeshi took a step back, leaving the bomber to face the fury of the tall girl alone.

"So," said Takeshi quietly so as not to be heard by Hana, "he came back."

Tsuna nodded, wondering exactly what to tell the baseball player. The small brunette didn't know what had happened exactly. One minute, Tsuna had been sure that the bomber was looking for Tamaki, and the next the bomber had declared himself to be Tsuna's slave. Tsuna grinned at the memory of the bomber's face when he had told Gokudera that Tsuna had been happy to have his friend back. Tsuna could never have imagined that bright smile on the normally scowling bomber.

"Does that make us part of the mafia game now?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna stared at the baseball player.

"Mafia game?" asked Tsuna.

"Yeah. Gokudera is really into it. And I thought it would be fun if we make a team of our own," said Takeshi.

"I don't think we should do that," said Tsuna. He did not want to think about how Tamaki or the demon tutor would react to Tsuna and his friends making a game out of the mafia.

"Sure we can," said the baseball player, swinging his arm around Tsuna's shoulders. "Tsuna can be boss, and I could be the boss's right hand man."

"Shouldn't Gokudera be my right hand man?" asked Tsuna.

"No. He was on Tamaki's team, so he can't be trusted with that position," said Takeshi. His hazel eyes were sharp, and Tsuna tensed.

"Takeshi-kun," Tsuna started. "Do you…are you…mad at Gokudera?"

The baseball player let go of Tsuna's shoulders and turned to observe the growingly loud argument between the bomber and Hana. The intense look in Takeshi's eyes scared Tsuna, but it soon vanished and was replaced with a wide smile that hid Takeshi's eyes.

"Nope," said Takeshi. "He came back."

"S-so you think that we should start a team?" asked Tsuna, not knowing how to deal with that intense look. He had never seen the baseball player so angry. "W-why?"

"Someone has to challenge Tamaki. What fun's playing a game if no one will play with you?" asked Takeshi.

"It's not a game for him," muttered Tsuna, although he knew it wouldn't work. Once the baseball player got something in his head, it was next to impossible to get it back out.

"So what do you think?" asked Takeshi.

"I don't think it's a good idea," said Tsuna, racking his head for a reason that would get through to the baseball player. "H-Hana w-wouldn't be h-happy if w-we added s-something else to our s-schedule."

"You're right," said Takeshi, sending a nervous glance towards the angry girl. "But I thought it would be fun."

"Fun," said Hana, suddenly turning on the two boys, "would be finishing all your work without making me have to go over it."

"He's an idiot. What do you expect?" said Gokudera.

"At least he's not an idiot monkey," said Hana.

"It's good to have things back to normal, eh, Tsuna," said Takeshi.

"It was normal before," said Hana.

"What's that supposed to mean, wench?" demanded Gokudera. A flash caught Tsuna's eye in time for the small brunette to duck.

"You herbivores are making too much noise," said Hibari, swinging the second tonfa at Tsuna.

"Why are you only attacking me then?" said Tsuna as he flipped back to avoid another tonfa strike. Apparently, the prefect had not been satisfied with their fight this morning. But then Tsuna had been late this morning.

"Get away from him!" yelled Hana, stepping in between the prefect and Tsuna. Hibari paused and glared at the tall girl.

"Get out of my way or I will bite you to death."

"No," said Hana. Tsuna prepared to push past Hana and block whatever Hibari would send her way, but the roof's door flew open startling both fighters (though only Tsuna could notice the sudden tension in Hibari's hands). A blonde head scanned the roof in an evident search for something.

"Have you seen a turtle around here anywhere?" asked Dino.

"U-um, n-no," said Tsuna, still in an attack stance.

"If you see one, tell me," said Dino, looking up worriedly. "Especially before it rains."

The door shut again, and the blonde teacher was gone. Hana sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"And he's still better than Nezo-sensei," she mumbled.

Hibari huffed and sheathed his tonfas. He jumped onto the roof's fence, obviously done with them.

"Hey, wait," said Takeshi. "Me and Tsuna are having our fight tomorrow after school. You wanna come watch?"

The idea of the prefect coming to watch Tsuna and Takeshi's match had Tsuna cringing. There would be about three or four people watching their match. Hibari didn't do crowds, no matter how small. Ignoring Takeshi, the prefect leapt off the roof. Tsuna would have been more worried about the raven haired teen if the prefect had not leapt from higher places during their fights.

"So he's not coming then," said Takeshi.

"Of course not," said Hana, "We should get to actually eating our lunches before we run out of time."

"Yep," said Takeshi while Gokudera grunted in reluctant agreement. They all headed to their usual places to sit. As Tsuna watched them, he wished with all his heart that he would see this portrait a million more times. But as Hana gave him a look that said "get over here," Tsuna changed his mind. He walked over thinking didn't want to see it anymore, because then he would not be a part of it.

* * *

><p>They arrived first, as Tsuyoshi had planned. To a swordsman, the environment was vital. Takeshi had yet to fully grasp that concept, so Tsuyoshi had wanted to remind the boy of the importance of taking in and using his environment before the promised fight.<p>

"What do you see?" asked Tsuyoshi.

"Trees, benches, a sandbox," said Takeshi with an eager distracted grin. The sushi chef understood Takeshi's excitement, but the boy needed to understand the importance of details. Tsuyoshi hoped to teach his son to keep track of details in case Takeshi ever had to face off with an illusionist. No amount of skill could help a swordsman caught in an illusionist's web.

"Again. Specifics this time," said Tsuyoshi. Takeshi scratched the back of his head and looked again.

"Oh, hi Tsuna!" said Takeshi, waving at the edge of the park's tree line. The small brunette stepped out from behind a tree right outside of Tsuyoshi's range. I-pin waved at Takeshi from her seat in Tsuna's arms, and Tsuna smiled. The small brunette was wearing the specialized Northern Kung Fu uniform that Fon had given the brunette for his birthday. The deep blue of the shirt should have stood out from the green of the trees, and the orange embroidery around the edges or the orange ties on the front should have reflected the light in a way that caught one's eye. But even the white of the pants and at the ends of the folded back hems of the long sleeves had faded seamlessly and senselessly into the shadows of the trees. Fon hoped down from the tree and landed on Tsuna's shoulder.

"I see we had similar ideas," said Fon.

"Yes," said Tsuyoshi having already noticed his friend's presence at the end of Takeshi's attempt at a description of the park, though the martial artist was harder to sense than normal. The experienced swordsman wondered why Fon insisted on hiding his presence so well. Tsuyoshi didn't know of anyone nearby that Fon would not want to notice the martial artist. "But I doubt you were training your student to observe his surroundings."

The two teachers had had several discussions about their students, and Fon had more than once remarked that Tsuna had an uncanny sense of his surroundings. Tsuyoshi had listened to the comments in amusement, since repetition was his friend's version of boasting.

"One can never know their opponent to well," said Fon, and Tsuyoshi could hear what the martial artist meant. Fon had hoped to prepare Tsuna for the fact that the small brunette needed to fight Takeshi seriously. Tsuna had a terrible tendency to hold back.

"Since we're all here, why don't we start?" asked Tsuyoshi, foiling his friend's plans. One should not give an opponent any openings. If Fon wanted to teach that principle to Tsuna, then the martial artist needed to realize that the lesson would have to be taught the hard way.

"Sounds good to me," said Takeshi, pulling out Shigure Kintoki. Tsuna nodded hesitantly. Fon whispered in the small brunette's ear, and Tsuna straightened and fell into an attack stance. The martial artist jumped off the small brunette's shoulder and headed to a bench directly between the two boys. I-pin followed her master's example, though she said something in her broken Chinese/Japanese mix that Tsuyoshi didn't catch. Tsuna nodded and gave her a small smile, not moving one inch out of the stance. Before Tsuyoshi moved towards the bench, he laid a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Remember," said Tsuyoshi, "this is a serious opponent."

"Yeah," said Takeshi, the boy's hazel eyes narrowing. "Tsuna can be scary."

Tsuyoshi gave his son another pat in silent agreement. Father and son had gotten a taste of what Tsuna could do in the demonstration fight, and anyone with those skills after a little over a month's instruction should be feared. But Takeshi's skills were nothing to scoff at either.

The two teachers stood in front of the center bench as the two students face each other and waited for the signal. The intensity of the two filled the small park as Fon and Tsuyoshi raised their hands in unison. At the drop of the two teacher's hands, Takeshi sped forward and slashed at the small brunette. The small brunette stepped backwards and out of reach of the sword and Takeshi took two steps forward and slashed upwards. Tsuna leapt over the sword and Takeshi's head. Instantly Takeshi turned, stepped backwards and then around, and thrust the sword at where Tsuna was landing. Tsuna spun to avoid the blade and elbowed the young swordsman's shoulder. Takeshi bent down to avoid the elbow, and Tsuna took the opportunity kick the sword, trying to disarm the young swordsman. Takeshi pulled the sword to the right and executed a roll to gain some space between him and the small brunette.

"Your son has good instincts," said Fon as Takeshi tried a thrust-swipe-slash combo which Tsuna sidestepped, ducked, and moved back to dodge. The little girl between didn't even turn to look up as her master spoke, too involved in the fight.

"And your student has a good defense," said Tsuyoshi. "Your ideal student then?"

"His attempt to imitate my Kaze Ryu is commendable," said Fon. Tsuna had spun, slid down, and leapt to the side to evade various swords strikes. "But he was never meant to be the wind."

"Oh," said Tsuyoshi. His son had attempted the Shigure Soen Ryu's fifth stance, but the switch of hands failed to surprise Tsuna. The small brunette had slipped past Takeshi and bypassed the blow entirely. "So what is he meant to be?"

"One can catch the wind if one can discover its flow," said Fon. Tsuna leapt over another sword strike aimed for the boy's abdomen and tried once again to kick the sword out of Takeshi's hand. The young swordsman changed the sword's direction suddenly, and the sword would have threatened to take Tsuna's head if the sword hadn't been flipped to the flat of the blade. But Tsuna twisted in midair, and though the move lacked elegance and finesse, it let Tsuna dodge the blow to his neck and catch the young swordman's hand. Fon smiled, an eagerness in the normally calm eyes that would have surprised most. "But the sky is always untouchable."

The sky? Tsuyoshi had heard that some Italian _famiglie_ referred to their bosses in such a manner, especially the Vongola. But Fon would not make allusion to that. Would he? Shigure Kintoki clanged as it met Tsuna's gloves and reminded Tsuyoshi that now was not the time to question his old friend. An absent observation was made on how Tsuna was not wearing the brown gloves he got as a birthday present but rather the strange green pair he used at times, before the boy leapt back over the sword and pulled the still caught hand backwards. Takeshi fell back to keep the shoulder from dislocating and yanked the arm hard to release the hand from Tsuna's grip. The small brunette used the yank's momentum to kick Takeshi's face. The young swordsman ducked in time but ended up losing his balance as Tsuna pulled the hand further downwards and back. Takeshi twisted to put the hand in a less painful position and then swung the sword at his own wrist. Tsuna instantly let go. This time, Tsuyoshi smiled. His son knew the small brunette to well not to see Tsuna's weakness. But…the experienced swordsman frowned. That sort of weakness could one day cost Tsuna his life.

"He's still too gentle," said Fon. "He has yet to recognize the difference between gentleness and softness."

"All students have their faults," said Tsuyoshi as Takeshi returned to his offensive, slashing and swinging his sword with renewed vigor and precision. "And he is more of defensive fighter."

"He seems like one, doesn't he?" said Fon, that wretched smile back on the small face. Not one of Takeshi's blows connected.

"Has the match been entirely like this?" asked a voice from behind them. "I don't see what the fuss is about."

"Shows how much you know, wench," said a second voice as Hana and Gokudera entered the park and stood next to the two teachers.

"Says the idiot monkey who got lost on his way here."

"I wasn't lost!" yelled the silver haired teen.

"Nice to see you again, Hayato. Tsuna would be glad to see you came. He's not gone a day without mentioning you the last week," said Fon, the calmness in his tone acquiring a slight edge. I-pin glared at Gokudera. The silver haired teen's face became bright red, and the green eyes grew pained before Gokudera bowed and mumbled something unintelligible. The reaction surprised Tsuyoshi and the taller girl too judging by her perplexed expression.

"Tsuna's training went much better yesterday," said Fon, and a tension in Gokudera's shoulders loosened. I-pin broke her glare and gazed at her master in confusion. "I hope to see you more often, though I understand that Italy may call you back."

"I don't ever plan to go back," said Gokudera, lifting his head from his bow and revealing determined green eyes.

"I see," said Fon. Although Tsuyoshi could sense much going on in the unspoken part of the conversation, the experienced swordsman did not have enough information to make sense of it. The silver haired teen had been absent from the sushi shop for the last few days and had missed Tsuna's birthday, but the teen had disappeared for much longer than that and had given Tsuna a present (or so Tsuyoshi had guessed after seeing Tsuna suddenly carrying around a piece of dynamite). The tall girl's expression turned speculative, and I-pin simply returned to glaring at the silver haired teen.

A cry brought their attention back to the fight in time to see Tsuna leap back and put distance between himself and Takeshi. Neither appeared injured. Another scream sounded from the more wood-filled area of the park. If Tsuyoshi had not seen the effect before, he would passed off the orange glow in Tsuna's eyes as a trick of the light. Those orange overlaid eyes widened as a third scream echoed, and Tsuna dashed into the tree line. Takeshi did not waste a moment in following the small brunette, and neither did Gokudera, Hana, and I-pin. Fon and Tsuyoshi exchanged glances, and Tsuyoshi nodded. Tsuna would not break the fight with Takeshi without good reason. The two hurried to catch up with the children.

A fourth scream came but quickly became muffled, as if someone had placed a hand over the mouth making the sound. The group picked up the pace, but Tsuna still arrived at the scene first. In a small clearing that lead to a cave, fifteen to twenty men had cornered six or seven middle school girls. One man had a girl in his firm grip and was trying to drag her into the cave. Tsuna grabbed the man's hand and tightened his own grip until the man let go of the girl. Tsuna then knocked the man away from the girl and into cave's entrance wall. The small brunette then stood between the girls and the other men.

"Leave them alone," said Tsuna.

"Who do you think you are?" asked another man, since the first man had yet to regain consciousness. An explosion came from the second man's feet and the man fell singed to the ground along with the three men closest to him.

"He's Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera, unlit dynamite spread in his hands and a lit cigarette in his mouth. "And you should listen to him."

"Tsuna-sama? Since when?" mumbled Hana. The girl stayed close to Fon and Tsuyoshi along with I-pin, who had only stayed put under her master's firm look. "At least he's not all bluff."

A third man gave a garbled cry and fell forward, revealing a grinning Takeshi.

"Gokudera's right," said Takeshi. "You might get hurt."

"No way," cried a fourth man, or rather older teen. This one looked younger than the others. "We're not getting bossed around by kids. Not again."

"Again?" asked Hana, catching the men's attention. "You guys must really be pathetic if this is your second time being ordered around by 'kids.'"

"I'll show you pathetic!" said the young looking man. He pulled out a switchblade and charged towards the girl. Tsuna grabbed the man's hand and pushed him onto the ground, a knee on the man's back. "H-how—you were over there!"

Tsuna pulled the man's arm backwards so hard that the man screamed and dropped the knife. The small brunette executed a perfect hand strike to the back of the man's head, and the young looking man fell unconscious.

"Grab the girls and get out!" yelled a bald man, and all the men ran to grab one of the girls. An explosion knocked the men back, and several cries came as Takeshi executed several Shigure Soen Ryu offensive forms at once. Tsuyoshi felt pride swell in his chest as Shigure Kintoki flashed in and out of Takeshi's hands. Fon probably felt the same as Tsuna knocked several more men unconscious with several hand strikes and aerial kicks.

"On second thought," said Hana. "I can see the fuss."

Another scream came from the girls, and the man Tsuna had first knocked unconscious stood with a blade at a dark haired girl's neck.

"Let me leave with the girl or she stops breathing," the revived man yelled.

"Tenma, save us!" yelled a red haired man from the ground where he had fallen under Takeshi's sword.

"Shut up! I only came out here to have some fun after the Momokyokai became disbanded thanks to that brat," said the man, this Tenma. "You kids can have as much fun as you want with those idiots. But let me pass."

The three boys stopped their massacre to glare at Tenma as he slowly inched away with the girl in his grip. Tsuyoshi barely saw the dark blur before the man was once again knocked away from the girl as a something silver struck his head.

"For disturbing the peace in Namimori," said a raven haired teen. "I will bite you all to death."

The men froze, clearly recognizing the bloodthirsty teen.

"Yo, Hibari. So you came to see our fight," Takeshi said as he grinned and waved.

The raven haired flashed annoyed eyes at the young swordsman, but a nearby man tried to sneak past the raven haired teen in attempt to copy what the first man had done and distracted the bloodthirsty teen's wrath away from Takeshi. The unfortunate man flew several feet before meeting another barrage of tonfa strikes. Most of the remaining men either fell beneath Gokudera's dynamite, Yamamoto's sword, or Tsuna's blows, but some got smart and ran. Hibari turned to chase after the fleeing men.

"Wait, Hibari!" said Tsuna, earning a glare from the raven haired teen. Tsuna gulped, but continued, "We w-won't s-start u-until y-you c-come b-back."

Without acknowledging the small brunette's words, the raven haired teen continued after the men.

"That's the first I've seen that boy stop when someone called him," said Fon. So the raven haired teen was the nephew that the martial artist mentioned from time to time and the reason the martial artist had his presence so carefully. Hibari must have been watching from a dense set of trees, and Fon had hoped to keep the volatile teen from noticing the martial artist. From what Tsuyoshi had heard about Fon's nephew, Tsuna had achieved quite a feat.

"A-are y-you o-okay?" asked Tsuna, the orange sheen gone from the brown eyes. The dark-haired girl nodded, but tears formed in the amethyst eyes. The small brunette shocked the whole clearing into silence by leaning forward and pulling the girl into a full body embrace. He whispered into her ear, and she buried her head into his neck.

The other middle school girls began to whisper and point, and Takeshi rubbed the back of his head while Gokudera spread his dynamites again and glared at the girl. Hana marched over and stood where Tsuna could see the tall girl's glare. He lifted a hand to indicate that Hana needed to wait, and the tall girl did although with a huff. Almost silent sobs came from the dark-haired girl. Gokudera clicked his tongue and put away the dynamite as Takeshi motioned for the girls to follow the young swordsman. The middle school girls stopped their whispering and followed Takeshi with stars in their eyes. Not even one of the girls looked back at the long haired girl and her much too quiet sobs.

* * *

><p>Warnings: You might be missing a great depiction of Tsuna's Northern Kung Fu uniform by Belletiger BT found on this link (ht*tp:**BTfan.*deviantart.*com*/*art*/*Tsuna-More-Than-No-Good-290343904 [to view copy and paste into browser and remove *'s]).


	16. Bullet kun

Chapter 16: _Bullet-kun_

"Everyone, this is Nakimori Nagi," said Bullet-kun. Nagi clung to the small brunette's sleeve tighter as everyone's eyes focused on her. Bullet-kun put a hand over hers, and she felt safer than she had in years. Ever since Grandmother had passed away. "Nagi-chan, this is Takeshi-kun." A tall brunette boy grinned and waved at her. "Gokudera-kun." A silver haired boy glared at her, and she hid behind Bullet-kun further. The small brunette didn't stop her. "Fon-sensei." A small raven haired boy (a baby?) bowed and smiled at her. "Yamamoto-san." An older man grinned at her in a similar way to the tall brunette boy. "I-pin." A small Chinese girl bowed not unlike the small raven haired boy. "And Hana-chan." The tall brunette girl gave Nagi a hard look, and Nagi gripped the back of the blue silk shirt and focused on the orange embroidered hems.

"Who is she?" demanded the tall girl, Hana-chan, from where she was perched on one of the park swings.

"Hana-chan, please stop glaring at her," said Bullet-kun. "You're scaring her."

"You don't stutter around her, so you know her then," said Hana-chan, not sounding like she had heard Bullet-kun. "So is she an old friend? A hidden girlfriend perhaps?"

"She's not a girlfriend!" said Bullet-kun, and his ears were bright red. "She's an old friend."

"That's what I thought," said Hana. "From where? She's not from around here is she?"

"No," said Bullet-kun. "She's from Tokyo."

"Tokyo. So what is a girl from Tokyo doing here?"

"Their school's on a field trip," said the tall brunette boy—Takeshi-kun. "Their teacher used to live here and thought that Namimori would be a good place to bring the kids since it has wooded areas nearby and isn't too far from a beach. They're studying Japanese topography."

Hana-chan crossed her arms and glared at Nagi again.

"You can let go of him now. We're not going to eat you."

"Sorry," said Bullet-kun. "She's a little shy."

"You're shy," said the tall girl. "I didn't see you hiding behind anyone when we first met."

"I-I'm sorry," said Nagi, peeking out from behind Bullet-kun. She didn't want to cause trouble between him and his friends, but she couldn't face so many people at once. Bullet-kun's hand covered hers again.

"Please, Hana-chan."

The tall girl huffed, but she stopped glaring. The silver haired boy also quit glaring at Nagi when Bullet-kun looked at the taller boy—Gokudera-kun.

"So where'd you meet your friend, Tsuna?" asked the older man. The strange nickname confused Nagi.

"At the hospital," said Bullet-kun, and Nagi could hear the sadness in his words. "Mom got really sick when I was little. My father took Ta—me somewhere, and when we got back to the house, Mom was on the floor bleeding. An ambulance came and took Mom to the hospital in Tokyo where she stayed for a couple of months. W—I was put into a daycare in the hospital itself since Mom wanted us nearby and our father had to go back to his job." The anger in Bullet-kun's reference to his father hadn't faded over the years. "Nagi's grandmother was in the hospital too. Nagi stayed in the hospital room with her since no one else wanted to take care of her and her mother…" Nagi didn't understand why any reference to her mother brought out the same anger as Bullet-kun's father in the normally quiet boy. Bullet-kun took a deep breath and continued. "She didn't care what happened to Nagi because she was busy trying to find a husband. S-so I-I s-saw her g-going u-up t-the e-elevator a-alot, and o-one d-day I w-went u-up t-to t-talk t-to her a-and w-we b-became friends."

"Really?" said Hana. "Then what's with the stuttering?"

"B-Bullet-kun saved me," said Nagi, defending the only person who had ever let her be his friend. And after all these years, he had even kept his promise.

"Bullet-kun?" asked Hana-chan, and Nagi hid behind Bullet-kun again at the renewed glare. "_Tama_-kun? As in short for _Tamaki_?"

"Y-yes," Nagi near whispered. What else could it be? She liked calling Bullet-kun Bullet-kun. It reminded her of their promise.

"What did your stupid brother do?" demanded the angry brunette girl. Nagi didn't know that Bullet-kun had a brother.

"H-he d-didn't d-do a-anythi—"

"You shouldn't lie, Tsuna. Your nose will grow," said Takeshi-kun. As Nagi wondered about the strange nickname again, Bullet-kun opened his mouth, but Gokudera-san interrupted the small brunette before Bullet-kun could say anything.

"The moronic imitation had you replace him."

Bullet-kun's mouth closed. The hand fell from hers and dropped to his side, and the small brunette looked down and hid his face behind the soft brown bangs. Nagi could still see the pain that entered the usually warm brown eyes. He hid it before lifting his head and turning to gaze straight into her amethyst ones.

"Tamaki saw Nagi-chan," Bullet-kun started in a whisper. Nagi wondered why he was speaking in third person. Bullet-kun had never been the sort to do that before. "He thought she was cute, and he was bored in the hospital daycare. He only had me to play with, and he said he wanted some variety…He went up to her one day, and he started to play with her. But then she…he got…Tamaki didn't want to play with her anymore."

Nagi blinked. None of this was making sense. Bullet-kun had never stopped playing with her. Sure, he had called her boring and a dummy once, but he had been nothing but sweet with her afterwards. They had never had a problem after he had stammered out an apology. Even though he had started stuttering after that, he had continued to play or talk with her until her grandmother had…gone. Her mother had not wanted Nagi near the stupid stuttering boy. It had been the only time Nagi had been sure that her mother was wrong. Bullet-kun was anything but a stupid boy.

"Let me guess," said Hana-chan. "Your brother got bored of playing with her, so instead of dumping her entirely, he dumped her on you, in case he wanted to play with her again."

"No," said Bullet-kun, still quietly. His gaze fell from Nagi's. "Our mom heard that he had been playing with her and had thought him a good boy for playing with the lonely girl, but then he had…he got s—"

"Basically, he got bored and made you keep playing with her to keep up the pretense with your mother," interrupted Hana. Bullet-kun didn't move. Nagi clutched her friend's sleeve, the words and action tightening her chest. What did this all mean? Why didn't Bullet-kun disagree with the tall girl?

"So you let her think you were Tamaki," said Takeshi-kun. The boy's cheerful voice sounded too soft. Nagi wanted to bury her head into Bullet-kun's shoulder to avoid the oddly pitying gazes, but she couldn't move. She tried to catch Bullet-kun's gaze, so she could move again, but his eyes stayed firmly on the ground.

"W-what are they talking about?" she asked, trying to get his eyes to meet hers. "W-why are they talking about Bullet-kun like he's not here?"

"Because he's not," said Gokudera-san with a voice that didn't match the rough tone of earlier.

"B-but you're Bullet-kun," said Nagi, tugging at her friend's sleeve. He hadn't been this mean since before the apology, but he must be playing a trick on her. He got his friends to help him with the joke. She'd soon see the smile she had missed so much. His brown eyes finally lifted from the floor to touch hers, but she only felt more frozen. "R-right?"

"I'm not Bullet-kun," said Bulle—the small brunette with dark sad brown eyes. "My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Her hand let go of his sleeve and hovered in the air. His eyes didn't look away, not now when she wanted them to. This stranger's eyes held her own captive, along with all the breath of her lungs. She took a step back, trying to gain more space, to _breath_.

"Do you see now?" asked Hana-cha—the tall girl, strictly, harshly. So much like Nagi's mother when the woman wondered out loud about how she could have such a pathetic daughter, about how her daughter could make no connections, how no one would deign to talk to a girl who wouldn't open her mouth. Nagi had always hidden from that tone in the memories of a boy who had gone out of his way to talk to her, to play with her, who had understood her without her needing to use words. The boy who had promised to protect her and keep all who would harm her away whenever he was near, even if they came shooting at her with guns. Because he was the strongest boy in existence. Because he liked playing with her. Because he was her friend.

"Yeah, Tsuna," said Ta—the tall brunette boy, his voice far less harsh than the tall girl's, but it had a reproving tone all the same. "If you cover for Tamaki all the time, people will get hurt."

Hurt. The word triggered something, and Nagi realized that that was pounding in her chest, bringing down her whole world. And that _hurt_ was reflected in those tauntingly familiar brown eyes. How could it be there too? He had...he had…

"Why-y?" Nagi asked, the word cracking in two. But she needed the answer. Why was that hurt there? How could he look at her like that? The hurt hid behind the curtain of hair in a gesture she had thought she knew so well.

"I-I didn't…I wanted to be friends with Nagi-chan too," he started. Nagi's chest continued to pound. "B-but Tamaki-san said I couldn't, b-because Nagi-chan was his friend a-and wouldn't want to be friends w-with a loser. So when Tamaki-san said that he was going to s-stop being your friends because he was—b-but he…he said I could f-fool you into t-thinking I was him, because we're twins a-and he couldn't…A-and I d-didn't w-want to see N-Nagi-chan sad again…"

"I've wondered how you could be related to that moronic brother of yours," said the tall girl, "but I'm starting to see how."

The brown eyes flinched, and the pounding lulled a bit in satisfaction. The tall girl came between Nagi and the small brunette, making the brown eyes focus on the tall girl.

"Your brother is one of the worst kinds of people," the tall girl continued in that harsh, reproving tone. "He's someone who treats others carelessly. He only becomes involved in people's lives if it interest or benefits him, and when whatever caught his eye or benefitted him is gone, he removes himself from the person's life in the most damaging way as possible. That's who he is, for whatever reason. I could blame how spoiled rotten the moronic monkey king is thanks to his mother, his father, the teachers, his classmates, our classmates, the neighborhood, and _you_. You come and try to clean up all the messes he leaves. When he all but pushed Takeshi off the roof, you ran to stop Takeshi from going through with it. And when he pushed the stupid monkey away, you made sure to keep the stupid monkey in the dark until your idiotic brother found a use for him. And when that careless monster refused to sacrifice some of his time to help a lonely girl at a hospital, you stepped in and pretended to be him. And I doubt that's all you've done to fix your idiotic brother's mistakes."

The small brunette shrunk into himself more and more with each new sentence. Nagi had an urge to go around the tall girl and reach out to the boy again. She had seen him like that once before, when her mother had begun to criticize him. He had looked so weak, so accepting of the criticism…He had never looked like that to her before that day with her mother. He had always protected her, even if he was stuttering or shaking when he did. She remembered clearly how her mother had started to criticize him because he had told the woman to leave Nagi alone. And how when Nagi's mother had scolded Nagi, Bullet-kun had stood between Nagi and the woman and told the woman to stop without stuttering once. But…he said he wasn't Bullet-kun…

"And someone always gets hurt when you cover for that moronic monkey king," the tall girl kept on, but her tone softened at the next words. "And it's not only those who you deceive for your stupid brother."

Nagi peeked around the tall girl to get a better look at the boy who had said he wasn't Bullet-kun. His expression was completely hidden behind the brown hair she had thought was the same she had put skull barrettes in and attempted to tame. His body stood barely managing to stay upright, limp in a way that reminded her of the day she had told Bullet-kun goodbye. The tall girl walked forward and put a hand on the small brunette's shoulder.

"Work on fixing your mistakes," said the tall girl. "Then you can think about fixing others' and maybe even whether or not you should be fixing those mistakes in the first place."

The small brunette did not react as the tall girl went back to the group. Nagi caught a glimpse of the myriad of expressions on the spectators' faces: the silver-haired boy had a tense look on his face and his green eyes flickered angrily at the hand on his shoulder which belonged to the tall brunette boy who had on a sad smile, the small Chinese girl had her head tilted upwards to the small raven haired boy whose black eyes held a sad sort of understanding, and the older man's face was pinched in worry. Then a puff of brown hair blocked her view.

"N-Nagi-chan," said the whispering voice she had thought she knew. "I-I k-know I-I…I shouldn't have lied to you." Those brown eyes appeared again, and she was once again held captive. "Friends…" Why did that word cause the pounding to soften to something warm? "….they shouldn't lie to each other. I-I wish I had known that back…back at the hospital. B-but you were my first friend, and I didn't want to l-lose you…" His first friend? His _first_? She shouldn't feel so…_happy_ at that thought. "I-I'm sorry."

A pause followed the apology that sounded so similar and so different than that one she held dear in her heart. It had been the only apology she had ever heard directed at her, until this one. That apology had cemented her friendship with Bullet-kun. And this one…this one…

"I-I understand if you don't want t-to be my friend again," said the small brunette as the brown eyes lost their hold and skittered away from her. "I-I'm not Bullet-kun, not the one you thought, and I-I lied to you. B-but I wanted y-you to know that that promise." And the brown eyes stopped their random movement to stop on hers, gaining a slight orange tint that they sometimes had. "I will keep it. It's our promise."

* * *

><p>"…<em>N-Nagi-chan," the little boy whispered in a way Nagi was still getting used to. He hadn't whispered so much before, but he heard her whispers better now. He was the only one besides Grandma who heard them. "Y-you…you said I-I m-made y-you a p-promise…"<em>

_She nodded, blushing at the thought of the promise. No one had ever made her a promise like that, though she had sometimes imagined that her Daddy might have if he had been alive._

"_Wha…what w-was i-it?"_

_She was confused. Didn't he remember the promise? Or was he testing her to see if she remembered it? Mother did that sometimes, tested her memory to see if Nagi had any brains in her head._

"_You promised to protect me," she said, her own words not any louder than his. "No matter what came. Because you were the strongest boy in the universe. Not even a bullet could stop you."_

"_I-is t-that why you c-call m-me B-Bullet-kun?" asked the boy. She nodded. He was really testing her hard. How could he not know that? "S-so y-you wouldn't l-like t-to c-call me a-another n-name?"_

"_Bullet-kun's Bullet-kun," she said. He couldn't be anything else. He had promised._

"_O-oh, o-okay," said the boy. He looked sad. She grew nervous. Did he not want to keep his promise? His eyes suddenly looked orange. She had never seen anyone with orange eyes before. Must be part of being the strongest boy in the universe. "It's our promise. And I will keep that promise."_

* * *

><p>Bullet-kun had stuttered then, like this one did. And then the orange had shone in the normally brown eyes, like it had in this one. Maybe he…No, he….He wasn't Bullet-kun. But he was her friend.<p>

"I believe you," said Nagi. She gave him a peck on the cheek like her mother had taught her, though she had only used this greeting on Bullet-kun and…and now Tsunayoshi-kun. The small brunette blushed, but the small smile on his face shined through the redness and was as bright as she remembered.

* * *

><p>Hana's frown deepened every minute the two stood together not saying anything. She had the growing suspicion that a conversation was going on that she could not understand. Nagi had her hand in Tsuna's, and the frown on Hana's face became more pronounced. Tsuna had a very casual manner when it came to Nagi, one that he didn't have with anyone else. He would hold her hand or she would grab his sleeve, and neither would treat the touch with any special attention or embarrassment. And whenever one had been around the other the last three days, they had inevitably clung to each other in some way. Hana understood catching up on years of separation, but the touches seemed more habit than immediate need. Fortunately, Nagi's class trip had ended, and today she was going back to Tokyo. The blue haired girl's grip on Tsuna's hand tightened as the bus appeared down the road, and amethyst eyes filled with dread. Maybe not so fortunately.<p>

"You have our numbers, right?" asked Hana. Nagi nodded, her amethyst eyes never leaving the bus. Hana blocked the slightly shorter girl's view of the blue vehicle. "If anything happens, and we mean anything, you call us. And call Tsuna at least once a week. We would like to know what goes on in day-to-day Tokyo."

"She can't call that often," said Tsuna, indulging in the second annoying tendency. Tsuna would often speak for Nagi, since the blue haired girl was still too shy around them to do it herself. The boy's face hardened, and Hana had good idea of what Tsuna was about to say. He only put that face when it concerned two people after all. "Her mother would find out."

"What about texts or email?"

The two exchanged glances, and Hana was sure that they were having a whole conversation without her.

"She can do that during school days, when she has access to a computer," said Tsuna, a question in his tone. Nagi nodded.

"Then daily emails on every day except Sundays," said Hana,

The blue-haired girl nodded, but as those dread-filled eyes moved to gaze around Hana, the tall girl decided that one last warning might be needed.

"My family's planning to visit relatives in Tokyo this winter," said the tall girl, earning two surprised stares. "So if you get lazy and don't send those emails, we will come and see what is keeping you from writing."

"Your family would look for her during your visit to your relatives?" asked Tsuna , once again speaking for both.

"No. But you and I will. You're invited to join us," the tall girl answered. She hadn't asked her parents yet, but they would not mind. Their brief meetings with the small brunette had left the two adults gushing over the boy. Her parents were usually reserved people and cynical about the children her age and younger, but Tsuna had quickly become an exception.

"They want me to come with you?" asked Tsuna. She felt a strong temptation to say no as the boy glanced longingly at the blue haired girl. But the hope that filled the amethyst eyes convinced her otherwise.

"Yes. So she had better write those emails," said the tall girl. Twin smiles lit up the two faces, and Hana was struck with the thought that Nagi and Tsuna were more twin-like than Tamaki and Tsuna. The thought eased her mind. She gave a smile of her own.

"Hey, Nakimori! Get over here! We're leaving, so let go of your boyfriend already!"

The two blushed, and Hana's smile disappeared. Hana glared at the girl who had yelled, and the girl wisely ducked into the bus. Tsuna turned to Nagi and picked up her bag. She took it, reluctantly letting go of Tsuna's hand to do so.

"Don't worry," said Tsuna, his hand covering hers again, and gave her a weak smile. Nagi didn't return it. The boy stepped back, and Nagi moved away from him and Hana and towards the bus. The blue haired girl looked back once more on the bus's steps, and the amethyst eyes held brown. Then the bus closed the door, started towards Tokyo, and took the girl with it.

"We'll see her soon enough," said Hana to the boy still gazing down the road.

"I shouldn't have let her leave," he whispered.

"Why?"

"I-I don't know," said Tsuna, a confusion mixed with sadness almost overwhelming his words. "But I shouldn't have."

Glancing down the road where the bus had disappeared, Hana wished she could feel more relieved that the girl was gone.


	17. Older Brothers

Chapter 17: _Older Brothers_

Tsuna slumped down further into his desk, and Takeshi's grin disappeared. The small brunette had been like that since the blue haired girl had gone back to Tokyo. Takeshi was starting to dislike that girl. He didn't mind that the fight between him and Tsuna had been postponed (it meant an even better fight later), but he didn't like that she had stolen Tsuna's smile. Takeshi put back on his grin. He would get Tsuna's smile back.

"I heard the Center got a new arcade game. I think it's like the car racing one, but with motorcycles," said the baseball player. For a guy who didn't like risks, Tsuna really liked motorcycles. Of course, Tsuna didn't know he liked the dangerous bikes, but the small brunette always wanted to play any game with them and stopped to look at any cool bikes that passed by. One day Takeshi was going to make Tsuna ride one.

"Does it have full body controls?" asked the small brunette, straightening a bit in the desk. Takeshi's grin widened slightly.

"Yep." Time to throw a fast ball. "They say it's like riding a real motorcycle."

Tsuna's face hardened into determination. He stood and grabbed his bag.

"Let's go then," said Tsuna with an eagerness that Takeshi was sure the small brunette didn't know he was feeling. Home run.

Gokudera scowled from his position next to Tsuna's desk. The half Italian had been trying to cheer Tsuna up too, but Gokudera didn't know enough about Tsuna. Takeshi narrowed his eyes at the half Italian, and the silver haired teen glared back. It was Gokudera's fault that he didn't know Tsuna better.

"Come on," said Tsuna from the door. "It'll get full soon."

"Better get going before he goes without you," said Hana. She gave Takeshi a small appreciative smile. She knew Tsuna liked motorcycles too. "I'll wait for Kyoko to get done with the baking club and meet you there. But don't get used to skipping our study sessions. I'm only letting you since you wouldn't get anything out of it today anyway."

"We won't," said Takeshi, heading for the door that Tsuna had already disappeared through. The small brunette was super fast sometimes. If Tsuna would use that speed during one of their class's baseball games, he'd score tons of home runs for sure. But Tsuna wouldn't do that.

Making sure to stay a step behind the silver haired teen, Takeshi followed after Tsuna. The heaviness that had been on Tsuna's shoulders all day had disappeared for now, and Takeshi wanted to put his arm in its accustomed place. But he couldn't keep an eye on Gokudera from that position. Tsuna turned around to shoot them both a look that said hurry up, and they both hurried to catch up with the small brunette. Yep, Tsuna really liked motorcycles.

"What's so great about an arcade?" mumbled Gokudera while they were still out of Tsuna's earshot.

"It's fun," said Takeshi. The silver haired teen gave the baseball player an irritated glare, and Takeshi let his eyes sharpen again. "And Tsuna likes it."

Gokudera flinched, and the baseball player almost regretted the words. But then the many times Gokudera had refused Tsuna's invitation to join them at the arcade flashed through Takeshi's mind. Takeshi would tell the bomber whatever was necessary to protect Tsuna. Tsuna was too ready to forgive and trust. Part of the baseball player wanted to trust the bomber too, but the rest of him wanted to be sure, in case Tsuna was wrong.

A sudden blur hurled itself around the corner and into Tsuna. Immediately, the bomber and the baseball player moved forward as one to knock the blur away from the small brunette, but the action was unnecessary. The blur backed up as soon as it saw Tsuna and started to wail. The three exchanged glances and then stared at the blur that was now a filthy crying child. Tsuna stepped towards it, but it scampered further back, eyes green and wide with fear.

"I-I w-won't h-hurt y-you," said Tsuna, crouching and leaning forward. "A-are y-you l-lost?"

The child cried louder, and its breaths became more labored as it shook horribly. The child was terrified. Tsuna backed up, his shoulders slumping again.

"Takeshi, would you pick him up please?"

Takeshi grinned in an effort to lighten the darkness on the small brunette's face as he obeyed the order. The child's suit smelled like it looked. Filthy brown, green, yellow, and black stains covered the entire outfit, and the stench revealed that it had been soiled with almost every disgusting substance. The wailing continued next to Takeshi's ear.

"The poor little guy needs a bath," said Takeshi, his grin strained under the onslaught of yuck.

"We need to take him to Takesushi," said Tsuna, turning to head in that direction. "Gokudera, would you wait for the girls at the arcade and tell them where we went?"

Gokudera tried not to scowl as he nodded, but his face still twisted. Tsuna reached into his pocket and took out a few bills.

"Go test out the racing game for me," said Tsuna, the smallest bit of his smile back on his face.

"I will not let you down, Tsuna-sama!" shouted Gokudera over the child's wails. They were actually lessening as Takeshi bounced the child like Tsuna did to I-pin sometimes. Skilled martial artist or not, she loved bouncing in Tsuna's arms. "I will discover all the shortcuts and show them to you the next time we go. That way you can show who truly deserves the high score."

Takeshi frowned. Tsuna didn't like shortcuts. The small brunette liked to experience the game to its fullest, and shortcuts wouldn't let him. Tsuna pressed the money into Gokudera's hands.

"Have fun, Gokudera," said Tsuna making sure to say it loud enough. The silver haired teen beamed at the dropped suffix. He hurried to do as Tsuna said. The silver haired teen waved at Tsuna from the corner and called out something that Tsuna and Takeshi couldn't hear with the continued wails. As the bomber turned the corner, Takeshi analyzed the silver haired teen's behavior. His reaction had seemed genuine when Tsuna spoke to the bomber, but they had only known Gokudera a few months. The silver haired teen could be a good actor. "Takeshi."

"Hm? What is it Tsuna?" asked Takeshi, breaking away from his musings. The child was wailing in the ear closest to Tsuna, so the baseball player switched the child to his other arm.

"Gokudera…he means well. He threatened Tamaki for me. He's not up to anything," said Tsuna. Takeshi grinned again. Tsuna had an awesome insight. He'd probably know which pitch the pitcher would throw before he threw it. But Tsuna was also very blind to some things, so Takeshi would continue to keep a close eye on the bomber.

"So what're we going to do with this little guy?" asked Takeshi, bouncing the kid some more to see if he would quiet down further. The child's cries did go down a little.

"You said he needs a bath," said Tsuna, fidgeting with his hands. "D-do you mind giving him one?"

"No," answered the baseball player. "But why don't you do it?"

"I-I'm sorry," said Tsuna. "I-I shouldn't have aske—"

"You would do it if you could," said Takeshi as he bounced the child harder. The child had quieted more, and if the noise could get lower than ear-splitting, Takeshi's ears would ignore it better. "So why can't you?"

"H-he's s-scared o-of m-me."

"Has he met you?" asked Takeshi. He had a good idea of where this was headed. Most of Tsuna's problems had the same source.

"No," Tsuna whispered, probably hoping that the child's crying would drown the word out. But the child's cries were now a little under ear-splitting.

"So he's met Tamaki then."

The shadow across Tsuna's face was all the answer Takeshi needed. If Tsuna wouldn't get in the way, Takeshi would happily slice Tamaki in two. But Tsuna loved his brother and took his job as older brother seriously (too seriously as Tsuna would hopefully see if Takeshi and Hana could finally convince him to look). If Takeshi had a brother like Tsuna, the baseball player would take the position seriously too. So while Tamaki continued to neglect his brother, Takeshi would happily borrow Tsuna as his own.

* * *

><p>The man set him on a stool and took a hose. Water ran over him. Soap made bubbles in his once cool hair as the man gently put shampoo in the short curls (cut short so that he would never again hide his treasures in them). A rag scrubbed the dirt and stickiness off. And the towel felt so soft. He would never run away from a bath again.<p>

"Hey, Tsuna, did you find them?"

"Y-yes," came that voice. Lambo shook and wrapped the towel around tighter. A slim but monstrous hand slipped through a partially open door. Lambo screamed in his head, but only a whimper came out of his mouth. The man took the clothes from the hand, and it went back to the other side of the door.

"I can't believe Dad kept these," said the man as he inspected a small white shirt with red lines and a number on it and brown shorts and baseball boxers. "I guess it's a good thing he did. Come here and we'll try them on you."

"No," said Lambo. That hand had given it to the man, so they had to be bad. And Lambo was not wearing anything but _Mamma's_ cow suit. The little boy dived at the dirty suit, but the man caught him.

"Sorry, but you can't put that back until we wash it," said the man. "So put this on for now."

"No!" yelled the little boy, trying to squiggle out of the man's grasp. "No, no no no NO!"

"You alright there, Takeshi?" asked a deep voice from the other side of the door. It wasn't the bad voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said the man as he struggled to get the boxers on Lambo.

"You sure you don't need help?"

Lambo leapt out of the man's arms and went to get _Mamma's_ suit, but the man caught him again. The man held Lambo tight.

"If you want to help Dad," said the man. An older man with a large grin opened the door.

"I remember what you were like bath time. Squiggled and wiggled to get your mother to chase you," said the older man. "The trick is to remain calm."

The older man went up to Lambo and patted his head.

"You'll like these clothes," said the older man. "Takeshi wouldn't go anywhere without them for a whole month. Drove our friends wild that we let him wear the same clothes over and over. I couldn't help but keep them. They'll look great on you."

As the older man bent to pick up the boxers, Lambo bit the first man, and the man let Lambo go. Lambo jumped on the older man's back and pushed off to run out of the open door. Lambo had a great plan, so he hid behind the door and waited. The two men came rushing out of the bathroom.

"I thought you said we need to be calm," said the first man to the older man who was frantically looking from side to side.

"Your mother was the one who gave you baths," said the older man, rubbing the back of his head. "You go check upstairs and I'll check the restaurant."

"Got it," said the first man not even holding his hand. Lambo hadn't bit hard enough then. "We have to find him before Tsuna does."

"Yeah, our Tsuna's face reminds me of your mother's. She had the same quiet sad look in her eyes when she was upset. I've seen more than enough of that face."

"We'll find him and Tsuna won't have to make that face," said the first man running left while the older man ran down the stairs. Lambo smirked. His plan had worked. He ran back into the bathroom. He wasn't going anywhere without _Mamma's_ suit.

"Takeshi? Is everything okay? Why's the door open?" asked a voice from the doorway. The young Mafioso clutched the suit as he stared at the figure that stood in the bathroom's entrance. It was the monster. The monster would give Lambo back to Boss. And then Vince would get Lambo. And Vince would make Lambo pay for bothering the Vongola Decimo again. Tears came to the little boy's eyes, but his fear kept his mouth shut. The Vongola Decimo had said that he hated loud screams and noises. "H-hello. M-my n-name's T-Tsuna. W-what's y-yours?"

If the Vongola Decimo asks a question, answer it or else.

"La-LA-LAMBO!" the boy screamed, tears flowing down his cheeks. He didn't want to go back. Boss had said that Lambo could never be Bovino Boss, because Lambo was a "disgrate." And Vince would teach Lambo how to be a normal Mafioso by the whip and no play and no food. The wails got louder at each thought.

Warm arms surrounded him, reminding Lambo of _Mamma's _arms before _Mamma_ had disappeared. Why had _Mamma_ gone? Why hadn't she stayed? She would have hugged Lambo like this. Lambo wouldn't have to go back to Boss, to Vince. The Vongola Decimo would never find Lambo and take him back.

"Shhh," said a soft voice, so soft. "I-I'm not Tamaki. He—I'm sorry f-for w-what he did. B-but I w-won't let him d-do it again. P-please, c-calm down. W-we want to h-help you…"

The softness, the plea in the voice didn't sound like the Vongola Decimo. It sounded like _Mamma_. Lambo grabbed the clothes of the person holding him, and he cried and cried. _Mamma_ wouldn't mind. _Mamma_ would hold him and rock him. Back and forth. Back and forth. Like she used to. Back and forth. Until Lambo fell asleep. Back and forth. Safe. Back and forth. Warm.

* * *

><p>The teacher droned on and on about the Pythagoras theorem. The equation did not require a seventh explanation. Even Tsuna and Takeshi probably understood it after the third attempt. Tsuna was window gazing, and Takeshi had a book propped up with his face hidden behind it, probably fast asleep. The idiot monkey reflected Hana's feelings as the silver haired teen glared at the teacher. He was most likely upset that the teacher was wasting their time, Tsuna's especially. Hana had no idea what had happened between the small brunette and the idiot monkey, but the idiot monkey had finally realized who was the better twin. The classroom door flew open, and Kyoko's brother ran in, causing the teacher to drop his chalk in surprise.<p>

"OI!" yelled the boxer. "I need to talk to you, octopus head!"

Before Hana had time to wonder who octopus head was, the idiot monkey stood and glared at the Kyoko's loud brother.

"Get lost, lawn head!" the idiot monkey yelled louder than she had ever heard him. "And don't call me octopus head!"

A murmur went up through the class under the growing volume of the two. Apparently, the girls in the idiot monkey's fanclub did not appreciate the boxer's nickname for the silver haired teen. Hana found it amusing, if inaccurate. The silver hair had a certain flip to it, but it didn't particularly look like octopus. More like an uncombed monkey.

"Eh? Why is Sawada here?" asked Ryohei, catching sight of and staring at Tsuna. "Kyoko said you were in an EXTREMELY different class!"

Hana glanced back to see her female best friend blushing. Kyoko always complained that her brother embarrassed her to no end, and given the way she kept peeking back towards Tsuna, the boxer's presence mortified her. She had made sure to keep Tsuna from meeting the "extreme" boxer for the time being (Kyoko had gone out of her way to introduce the moronic monkey king to Ryohei), but apparently she couldn't keep her brother a secret anymore.

"Idiot! That isn't your Sawada!" yelled Gokudera.

"Both of you stop!" yelled the teacher, his volume not reaching half of theirs. Hana propped her head on her hand. This was certainly more interesting than the Pythagoras theorem. "Ryohei go ba—"

"Don't lie, octopus head! That has to be Sawada!" yelled the boxer, not listening to a thing that the teacher had just said.

"Why would I lie, stupid lawn head? I told you he's not yours!"

"He's EXTREMELY irritating, but he's my adopted little brother!"

"Both of you go to the principal's office!" yelled the teacher, louder but still unheard by the two.

"I told you that this one's not the moronic imitation! And no one forced you to adopt that moron as your little brother!"

"ENOUGH!" the teacher yelled at the top of his lungs. The two didn't look his way.

"But he's EXTREMELY dating my sister!"

"Where have you been the last weeks? That woman broke up with the moronic imitation weeks ago!"

"EH?" yelled Ryohei. "Is this true, Kyoko?"

"Onii-san, the teacher told you to leave," said Kyoko softly, her blush spreading through her whole face. Tsuna was looking at the scene with growing worry that the cute girl was most likely confusing for incredulity. She should know that Tsuna saw stranger things on a daily basis than two boys screaming in a classroom, so he wouldn't think less of her for her crazy brother. Just look at his. But by the way he was slowly slouching in his seat, worried or not, Tsuna didn't want to have anything to do with this craziness.

"SASAGAWA, GE—" the teacher tried again.

"So you're still dating Sawada!" yelled Rohei, easily drowning out the growingly desperate man.

"No, I'm not!" yelled Kyoko, her eyes fixed on the desk Tsuna was trying to disappear behind. Ryohei glared at the desk and marched over to it. The teacher had sat behind his own desk and collapsed into his arms, giving up on stopping the growing chaos.

"What did you do to my little sister!" Ryohei yelled as he slammed both his hands on Tsuna's desk.

"N-nothing! G-Gokudera's r-right. I-I'm n-not S-Sawada T-Tamaki," said Tsuna, his voice growing quieter every word. Hana raised an eyebrow and smirked. Looked like her lecture on not spoiling the moronic monkey king hadn't fallen on deaf ears.

"Yes you are!" yelled Ryohei. "Only Sawada has that EXTREME face."

"You mean both twins have that face," said one of the others in the class.

"Yeah. You're confusing Dame-Tsuna for his much cooler brother!" said another.

"Shut up you bunch of idiots!" yelled Gokudera. "Tsuna-sama is hundred times better than that moronic imitation!"

"Yeah, whatever," said another girl. "Point is that he's Dame-Tsuna, not Tamaki-kun."

"Maa, they're right," said Takeshi, "Tsuna's not Tamaki. But Gokudera's right too."

"I'm EXTREMELY confused," yelled the boxer. He pointed wildly at Tsuna. "Are you Sawada or aren't you?"

"I-I'm S-Sawada T-Tsunayoshi, n-not S-Sawada T-Tamaki," said the small brunette.

"Onii-san!" cried Kyoko, standing from her seat. "They're twins!"

"AH! I see. This is Sawada's brother."

Whispers and mutters of "he finally got it" and "what took him so long" and "hey, this is better than Pythagoras" floated through the room. Kyoko sat down and tried to hide her glowing red face. Ryohei would get a good lecture later.

"Now that you understand the situation, why don't you tell me what you need to say so that you can leave!" growled the idiot monkey. The boxer looked back at the idiot monkey in surprise.

"I EXTREMELY forgot!"

"M-maybe," whispered Tsuna, catching the boxer's attention and stopping the idiot monkey from yelling again. "M-maybe i-it h-had t-to d-do w-with T-Tamaki-san?"

"Yes! It did!" shouted the boxer before turning back to the idiot monkey. "Why did you EXTREMELY stop coming to the base?"

"Don't you know anything? And you barely go to the base anyway, what's it matter whether I'm there or not!" yelled Gokudera.

"Octopus head is the only other EXTREME one there!"

"What's that supposed to mean, lawn head?" yelled Gokudera.

"U-um…i-is e-extreme a-a g-good t-thing?" asked Tsuna.

"Yes to the EXTREME!" yelled Ryohei.

"A-and y-you t-think G-Gokudera's e-extreme?"

"Of course!" yelled the boxer.

"Che," the idiot monkey muttered. "Like I care what you think. Stop influencing Tsuna-sama with your idiotic opinions."

"I-I'm s-sorry," said Tsuna. "B-but G-Gokudera d-doesn't…h-he's n-not…"

"Gokudera's Tsuna's teammate, not Tamaki's," said Takeshi, causing the whispers to include questions of what team Takeshi was talking about and how cool the baseball player was next to the two yelling idiots and Tsuna.

"That is EXTREMELY strange!" said Ryohei.

"No, it's not," said Takeshi with a grin. "Tsuna's way better than Tamaki."

The boxer blinked and turned to Tsuna.

"Then you must join my boxing club to the EXTREME!" yelled Ryohei, eyes sparkling at the thought of another amazing boxer in his club.

"N-no, t-thank y-you," said Tsuna, backing his chair away from the boxer. The bell rang. "Y-you s-should g-get b-back t-to c-class, S-Sasagawa-san."

"I EXTREMELY should! See you after school, other Sawada!" yelled Ryohei as he ran out of the room.

"Sawada, Yamamoto, Gokudera, report to the principal's office immediately," said the teacher in a tired voice. "The rest of you settle down. Your English teacher will be here in a minute."

Squeals and more intense talking followed. Tsuna stood and hurried to gather his things as the whole class watched. Takeshi and the idiot monkey followed the small brunette, though the idiot monkey gave the teacher a parting glare. Then the three exited, taking most of the intellect in classroom with them. And now Hana had to suffer through another boring class, this time with only a preoccupied Kyoko to keep her company. Dino-sensei had better make the class interesting, at least until Tsuna and the other two got back.


	18. Going Places

Chapter 18: _Going Places_

The small brunette took a step back as Ryohei called towards the younger boy. Now that he was looking, Ryohei could see the extreme differences between this other Sawada and that Sawada. This one had a cuteness that reminded Ryohei of Kyoko.

"You forgot to come yesterday!" yelled the boxer.

"I-I'm s-sorry," said this other Sawada. "B-but I-I c-can't j-join t-the b-boxing c-club."

"Leave Tsuna-sama alone!" yelled Octopus Head, defending the small brunette more fiercely than he had that Sawada. "You made us get detention and loose Tsuna-sama's precious study time!"

"I did nothing like that to the EXTREME!"

"Yes you did, sempai," said the second teen. The taller brunette had boxing potential. Unfortunately, Ryohei realized he was Yamamoto Takeshi, star of the baseball team. Maybe Ryohei could convince the underclassman to join the boxing club too.

"I'm EXTREMELY sorry!" yelled the boxer.

"I-it's o-okay, S-sasagawa-san," said the small brunette with a small smile that was extremely not Sawada.

"You should join the boxing club!"

"Are you deaf? He said no!" said Octopus Head in an extreme manner. This other Sawada's voice was too quiet to be extreme.

"Yeah, sempai," said Yamamoto Takeshi, too quiet to be extreme too. "Tsuna's learning martial arts. He doesn't need to learn boxing."

"Boxing is an EXTREME martial art!"

"No it's not, Lawn Head!"

"It EXTREMELY is!"

"No, it—"

"I-I d-don't t-think t-that m-my s-sensei w-would w-want m-me t-to l-learn a-another m-martial a-art," said this other Sawada, cutting Octopus Head's extreme voice short. "A-and I-I d-don't w-want t-to l-learn a-anything b-but F-Fon-sensei's Kaze Ryu."

Ryohei blinked. This other Sawada was extremely different. The normal Sawada would tell Ryohei that bosses didn't play games with their subordinates (not that Ryohei extremely understood what he meant by that). Maybe this other Sawada would fight Ryohei.

"Then we should have a sparring match!"

"Stop bothering, Tsuna-sama! He doesn't want to fight you!" said Octopus Head extremely.

"I don't know," said Takeshi. "It sounds like fun. But he has to wait for me and Tsuna to finish our fight first."

"That's EXTREMELY fine!"

A violent breeze blew past the boxer and hit this other Sawada. The small brunette ducked and dashed past Ryohei and towards their school. Their extremely violent prefect gave chase after the small brunette.

"W-we're n-not o-on s-school g-grounds y-yet, H-Hibari-san!" said this other Sawada extremely, dodging another one of Hibari's sharp tonfas.

"You took too long," said the school prefect, swinging another tonfa at the small brunette. Ryohei ran forward and threw a punch which Hibari dodged, making way for the boxer to slip past the violent man and stand in front of this other Sawada.

"You cannot attack people who have done nothing to you!" said Ryohei. He had known that the violent prefect liked to correct those who had wayward tendencies, but this other Sawada had done nothing to provoke the attack. A blur stepped out from behind the boxer and countered a blow that Ryohei had not seen coming towards him. An extreme thrill vibrated through the boxer as he saw the firmness of this other Sawada's back. The small brunette would be hard to knock down. Hibari flew back a few feet and landed with an extreme bump against a wall. The firmness shifted into tension, and an arm stretched forward.

"A-are y-you o-okay, H-Hibari-san?" asked the small brunette.

"Herbivore," said Hibari in a low dangerous voice that sounded like an extremely angry competitor. "You will be bitten to death."

"HIEE! I-I'm s-sorry! I-I d-didn't m-mean t-to h-hit y-you s-so h-hard!" said this other Sawada as the Hibari glared at the small brunette.

"I am not another herbivore," Hibari said. "Fight me seriously or die."

Hibari ran past Ryohei and soared towards this other Sawada who did a low flip backwards to avoid the prefect's tonfa. Hibari was on top of the small brunette in an instant, but this other Sawada angled himself under Hibari's jump and caught one of the tonfas. The small brunette then yanked the tonfa out of Hibari's hand and leapt over the second that came his way.

"Sorry," said this other Sawada, his voice lower. "I will fight you later. When you aren't letting your temper get the better of you."

A tonfa missed the brunette head by a hair, and the small brunette ran away from them so fast that it made Ryohei's right hook look slow. Hibari ran after the small brunette. Ryohei blinked, and the two were gone.

"Lawn Head," said Octopus Head, in a less extreme voice than usual. Several strange sticks were spread in his hands, and a cigarette caused a cloud to overshadow his already dark expression. The green eyes burnt into his intensely. "Die."

"Now, now, Gokudera," said Yamamoto, putting his hands and on both Octopus Head's shoulders. "Tsuna wouldn't want you to blow up Kyoko's big brother."

"Why didn't you EXTREMELY stop our prefect from attacking the other Sawada?"

"Because Tsuna-sama had it under control! He fights that man every day," growled Octopus Head, extremely releasing himself from Yamamoto's grip. He crossed his arms, the sticks extremely gone, mumbling, "And he's not the other Sawada."

"He's right," said Yamamoto, grinning and putting his hands behind his head. His eyes were extremely sharp. "Tsuna's Tsuna."

"I EXTREMELY don't understand," said Ryohei. "Why are there two Sawadas?"

"They're twins, idiot," said Octopus Head. "Did your brain already lose that information?"

"I know that! But that Sawada is EXTREMELY different."

"What is Tamaki to you, sempai?" asked Yamamoto.

"He's an EXTREMELY annoying little brother!"

"So you understand if we ask you to stay away from Tsuna," said Yamamoto, his grin stretching to match his eyes.

"Eh? Why would you do that?"

"Because," said Yamamoto, swinging a bamboo sword that came from nowhere, "Tsuna's our Tamaki."

"Stupid baseball freak," said Octopus Head, another strange stick in his hand. "Don't say that. Tsuna-sama's more than that."

As Yamamoto nodded and tapped the sword against his shoulder, Ryohei was sure he had extremely missed something important.

* * *

><p>Tsuna ran as fast as he could. He was surprised when he reached the school with enough time to find a proper hiding place from the furious prefect. When had he gotten fast enough to make a reasonably comfortable distance between him and a chasing Hibari? Running past the baseball diamond and soccer field, Tsuna hid in the one place that had been his lunch spot for years. No one bothered him there, not Mochida or any of the other bullies. Tamaki was the only one who knew where the hiding place was, because Tsuna had brought his twin here once to hide Tamaki from one of the bullies that the bold brunette had angered.<p>

"I'm back," Tsuna whispered. He had missed this place. It wasn't very big, which was why he hadn't brought any of his friends here. He grinned, a full blown grin that held nothing back. This place had that effect on him. It had been his friend when he had none. "I'm sorry I haven't visited."

The place offered no response. It never did. A little space between the school wall and the antique shop next door shouldn't have been a solace for anyone, let alone a boy of fourteen, but Tsuna liked this place. He remembered the first time he had hidden here.

On his eighth birthday, Tamaki had ticked some older boys off and had tricked them into chasing Tsuna. The five middle-schoolers had corralled Tsuna onto their school ground to keep the then tiny brunette from running, which he had always been good at under pressure. Tsuna had been forced to hide in an unfamiliar place, and the tiny terrified brunette had run through the sport fields, since he knew from experience that large open spaces were better than small closed ones. The boys however were all on the same soccer team and had almost cornered the tiny brunette when Tsuna had dashed to the farthest corner of the school perimeter. A large crack in the school's perimeter wall had caught Tsuna's attention, and the tiny child had squeezed through it.

The small gap between the two building's walls had looked much bigger back then, despite all the debris piled in the corners and scattered along the floor. Tsuna had wondered if the place belonged to anyone when the angry voices of the older boys had distracted the eight year old. The tiny brunette had backed away from the school wall, hoping and praying to whoever was listening that the angry boys would not see the crack and find Tsuna. There wasn't anywhere to run in the little space.

The crack fizzled and shrunk. Then it was gone. The older boys continued to discuss and argue, but their voices were more muffled without the crack. Eventually, they left, and Tsuna felt safe to unglue himself from the shop's wall. He reached forward slowly, eyes wide and uncertain as his hand met the part of the school's wall where the crack should have been. When he touched it, it felt solid, like no crack big enough for a boy to slip through had ever existed.

"B-but the crack's there," Tsuna said, jumping a bit at his own conclusion. An almost heard sound startled the tiny brunette, and he turned around. Nothing had been there. After that time, Tsuna had visited this place often, whenever his mother was too busy to play with him or when bullies chased after the tiny brunette or when their father was home. Here, Tsuna had felt safe. The crack in the wall had always vanished after Tsuna had entered, and the place itself had seemed to welcome him with brighter sunshine. Tsuna had thanked the place by cleaning it up and occasionally talking to it. The place had been the only one besides his mother that he had been able to speak to without stuttering. He had felt that someone, maybe the place itself, always listened patiently when he whispered his problems to the peeling paint on the walls and quietly consoled him when he could no longer hold in his tears. But he had not come since Hana started to eat lunch with him.

"I'm sorry," whispered Tsuna, gazing at the weeds breaking through various cracks in the cement. "I should have come earlier."

Tsuna hummed as he pulled at the weeds. The place echoed his hum, as if glad that Tsuna had returned.

"What did you have to tell me that couldn't wait until after school, Romario?" asked a voice from the other side of the school wall. After Tsuna had realized that the crack was there whether or not it appeared to be, the small brunette had been able to hear voices clearly past the school wall.

"Sorry to say this boss, but I think it's about time we head back to Sicily," said another voice.

"Why? The inn does make a strange base, but it's worked well the last few months. I'm keeping up with my paperwork, and Nico has handled the affairs in Italy wonderfully. You know how important relations with Vongola are. I would like to get back to Italy soon, especially with Reborn—" The blond stopped, as if deciding that whatever he was thinking should not be said out loud. "My little brother's stubborn."

"Dino-san?" Tsuna whispered. He hadn't seen the blond man outside of class since the quick appearance on the roof.

"Rokudo Mukuro has broken out of Vendicare and might be here. We're worried about your safety," the second voice said.

"And you think that Rokudo Mukuro is coming here," said Dino. "Is he coming after the Vongola tenth candidate?"

"Nothing's for certain, but some say that he has already arrived. The ranking prince is also missing."

"That could be a problem," said Dino.

"Should we warn the future Vongola tenth, boss?"

"Reborn should know. He'll take care of Tamaki. I'm more worried about my second little brother. If Rokudo Mukuro learns about Tsuna…" said Dino. "On second thought, maybe I should talk to Reborn."

The two moved away. Tsuna strained to hear more, but the men's voices became too hard to understand. The bell rang, and Tsuna squeezed back into the school property and headed for class. His thoughts were nowhere near the immediate threat of the prefect and all on the unknown threat against his brother.

* * *

><p>Tsuna's head sunk into his arms. He couldn't focus on the teacher or the blackboard or any of the schoolwork.<p>

"I see you got away from our infamous prefect," said Hana, leaning against Kentaro's currently empty desk. "The idiot monkey and Takeshi were telling me that Kyoko's brother made him worse this morning."

"That was my fault," said Tsuna with a tired smile. "I should have known better than to hold back on Hibari. Fon-sensei said it's disrespectful to fight an opponent with anything less than your best."

"Don't tell me you're going to start quoting your sensei like Takeshi does his father, because I might just quit talking to you if you do."

"S-sorry. I'll stop."

"Stop acting like a monkey. I was joking," said Hana. "I might find it annoying, but it's good to see something's sinking into that thick head of yours. You should follow that advice."

"I-I know, but…what if Hibari gets hurt?"

"And what if you do?" asked Hana, gaining a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"W-where are Takeshi and Gokudera?" asked Tsuna, redirecting the conversation.

"The idiot monkey and Takeshi went to take care of something. I'm not sure what it was, but both of them had pretty intense looks on their faces."

The small brunette didn't hear explosions, so he could only hope that Takeshi could keep Gokudera from destroying anything. An image of what damage the two could do together was enough to drive all other worries out of Tsuna's head.

"Where'd they go?" asked Tsuna, standing from his chair and heading for the classroom door.

"I didn't ask," said Hana. "I think that the idiot monkey mentioned something about persistent boxers."

Tsuna picked up the pace, hoping to stop the two before they landed Kyoko's brother in the hospital. A steel eyed prefect stood on the other side of 1-B's door. Tsuna closed the door and backed away. The door opened deceptively slowly. The prefect strode towards the small brunette and an instant later a tonfa met Tsuna's head.

"Ow," Tsuna whispered. He could (should) have dodged that, but the shock of seeing Hibari on the other side of the door had thrown the small brunette off guard. A purple cloth got the small brunette's attention, and Tsuna noticed the bento hanging in front of his face. Looking between Hibari and the bento, Tsuna carefully took it and readied himself for another attack.

"I will take care of you later, herbivore," said Hibari, already on his way back out the door. "Do not make any unnecessary food until I say so."

With one last glare at the few remaining students, the head prefect disappeared out the door. Tsuna tightened his grip on the bento, a sour hotness curling in his stomach and spreading through his stomach. If he let Hibari leave, the prefect would not come back.

"W-wait Hibari!" called Tsuna, running after the prefect. "P-please wait!"

The prefect did not acknowledge the call, and Tsuna sped up to match steps with the raven haired teen. Hibari immediately glared at Tsuna, and tonfas reappeared in the prefect's hand.

"Go back, or I'll bite you to death," said Hibari.

"Hiie!" cried Tsuna, taking a step back, but the sickening warmth motivated him to stay by the raven haired teen's side. The small brunette fell into bow. "I-I'm sorry, Hibari. P-please forgive me."

Another tonfa hit the small brunette's head, and Tsuna bit back the cry. He deserved it. He should have known better than to try and fool Hibari out of decent fight. The blow did not feel as painful as the first.

"Get up, herbivore," said Hibari. Tsuna peered through his hair. The look on the prefect's face spoke of annoyance, not anger, before Hibari turned to head down the hall to the Disciplinary Committee headquarters. "I expect food when I return."

"R-return? Where are y-you going?" asked Tsuna. The prefect gave no answer, so Tsuna followed the raven haired teen. The sickening warmth had not gone away, and it felt too much like what had hounded Tsuna after Nagi's departure for Tsuna to ignore the sensation. The emails that Nagi sent every week were increasingly worrying.

Hibari entered the Disciplinary Committee's office, and Tsuna stayed at the doorway. A tall teen with a pompadour greeted Hibari who grunted and then laid down on a couch in the center of the room. With unreadable look, the tall teen walked over to Tsuna.

"Who are you and what do you need?" asked the tall teen. The man's brown eyes examined Tsuna with a bored, uninterested, and almost jealous stare.

"I-I w-was j-just w-wondering w-where H-Hibari w-was going," said Tsuna, trying not to back away from the rough looking teen. Tsuna reminded himself that the sickening warmth wouldn't go away if the small brunette didn't find out where the prefect was planning on going.

"Why would Hibari-san go anywhere?" asked the tall teen, a strangely soothing expression of confusion overcoming the rough features.

"I told you to leave, herbivore," said Hibari from his position on the couch. "I don't have time to bite you to death."

"B-but H-Hibari," Tsuna whispered, ignoring the tall scary teen, "I-I w-want to know w-why y-you would l-leave N-Namimori."

"There is new prey that needs to be bitten to death," said the head prefect.

"C-can I-I c-come w-with y-you?" asked Tsuna, surprising himself with the question. But something, the sickening warmth, told him that he could not let Hibari go alone to face this "prey."

"I hate crowds."

"B-but t-two's c-company, n-not a c-crowd," said Tsuna, using a phrase he had learned in English class.

"A herbivore would be of no use."

"B-but I-I'm not a-a c-complete h-herbivore," said Tsuna, taking a stab at using the prefect's own logic. Hibari glared. Apparently, this morning's incident was still too fresh in the prefect's mind. "…I-I'm a-a s-strong o-one?"

Hibari stood from the couch and strode over to the door, each step sounding of Tsuna's doom. But Tsuna didn't move. He had to convince Hibari. Hibari was strong, unstoppable even, but Tsuna couldn't let the prefect go alone. Not this time. A tonfa headed for Tsuna's head, for the exact same spot as earlier, but Tsuna stopped it. He glared straight into the steel grey eyes.

"I promise not to get in the way," said Tsuna, the sickening warmth flaring into heat and encompassing his whole body as it did whenever he crossed Hibari. The second tonfa headed for Tsuna's stomach, but the small brunette sidestepped it and caught the steel-grey stare again. "And I will fight you at full strength when we return."

The grey eyes widened slightly with surprise and anticipation, before closing in an expression of indifference. The tonfas disappeared into wherever they came from, and the prefect dropped his hands to his sides in an almost careless way.

"If you are lying, I will bite you to death," said Hibari, before striding away from the office in an obvious route to the roof. "Kusakabe."

"Yes sir," said the tall teen, and Tsuna shrunk into himself at the realization that the tall scary teen was still there.

"Explain the situation with Kokuyo to him," said the head prefect without turning around. Tsuna gazed up at the tall teen whose eyes no longer held the same feelings as earlier. An admiration and amazement filled this new stare, though jealousy had changed into a fiercer sort of envy.

"Who are you?" asked the tall teen, the amazement forefront in his voice.

"M-My n-name's S-Sawada T-Tsunayoshi," the small brunette muttered. He gave the tall teen a wobbly smile. "W-what's y-yours?"

* * *

><p>Dame-Tsuna waved to his friends, smiling brightly. Reborn watched from his hiding place as the smile dropped and an invisible weight pushed the small brunette's shoulders. From what the hitman had caught, Tsuna had told the others that he was taking two days off from training to recover from whatever the prefect had done to the small brunette. But the Namimori's head prefect had not done more that hit the small brunette twice on the head.<p>

"I leave at sunrise," said Hibari, appearing from behind the wall he had been hidden behind. Reborn admired the head prefect's ability to hide his presence. Even Gokudera, who's had been trained in the mafia since young, hadn't sensed the raven-haired prefect.

"Thank you for waiting for me," said Dame-Tsuna. The prefect grunted and headed back towards the school.

"What are you planning?" asked Reborn. Dame-Tsuna moved his head back and forth in an effort to scan the area, and the teen almost missed the strange looking bush. But wide brown eyes finally focused on Reborn's position.

"R-Reborn," Dame-Tsuna stuttered, backing away and quivering slightly. Reborn frowned. The hitman hadn't even hit the boy in weeks.

"Long time no see, Dame-Tsuna," said the hitman pulling off his disguise. "I see you've made a new friend."

"H-Hibari?" Tsuna said. The small brunette's wide brown eyes grew larger, and the hitman could almost see a question mark over the boy's head. The former weakling relaxed, and the boy's face shifted into a softer expression. Then, as if by an uncontrollable compulsion, the former weakling grinned widely in a way that Reborn had not seen. The hitman kicked Dame-Tsuna in the head.

"Don't make such stupid expression in my presence," said Reborn from the top of Tsuna's head. A sudden rush of rightness filled the hitman's being, and Reborn made sure to step harder onto the already injured spot on the small brunette's head. "So, why would Namimori's infamous prefect be waiting for you?"

"I-I…I-I c-can't…I-I d-don't-Ow!"

"Stop stuttering. It's pathetic," said Reborn, digging in his foot. The former weakling didn't stutter in the storm arcobaleno's presence. "Maybe I should ask your friends instead. Where did they go?"

"He's going to take care of a threat to Namimori!" cried Dame-Tsuna, a yelp embedded in the words.

"What threats?" asked Reborn. If the threat was what Reborn suspected…

"Someone put three prefects in the hospital," said the former weakling. "And rumor has it that Kokuyo Junior High might be involved, and the persons responsible are hiding out in Kokuyo Land."

"That corresponds with my information," said the hitman, lessening the pressure on the injury. The small brunette whimpered in relief. "Escaped convicts from the mafia's most famous prison are the ones causing the problems."

"E-escaped m-mafia c-convicts?" the former weakling said. Reborn pressed again, and the boy hissed.

"What did I say about stuttering?" said Reborn darkly. He was going out of his way to warn the boy to stay away from Kokuyo Land and the dangers hidden there, and the small brunette dared to stutter.

"S-sorry, I mean, I'm sorry!" the small brunette cried as he squirmed. Satisfied with the effort, Reborn lessened the pressure on the sensitive spot and hopped off the former weakling.

"Good. Tell him the problem's in Kurai Academy. That should keep him occupied until the problem is take care of," said the hitman as the boy rubbed his head in an attempt to lessen the pain. By the flinch, Reborn could tell that the former weakling had made it worse.

"T-te—Tell who?" asked the small brunette.

"Your friend," Reborn sing-songed. The small brunette blushed in a way many would find endearing. Reborn refused to frown again, but he promised to test himself against the storm arcobaleno next chance the hitman had.

"H-Hi—Hibari wouldn't be happy if I lied to him," said Tsuna, his voice low. And after the hitman got through with the storm arcobaleno, he would test his skills against the head of the CEDEF, perhaps in a more permanent fashion.

"It's for his own good," said the hitman.

"What about my other friends?" asked the small brunette. Reborn was running out of people to practice his skills on, and unfortunately, the hitman's student could not go on the list. And neither could the Ninth.

"They should be fine," said the hitman, leaping onto the former weakling's shoulder. "They're not related to the mafia."

Reborn wondered if the small brunette understood how amazing that fact was, especially considering who Gokudera Hayato was. The bomber had been mafia through and through, but he had given it all up for the small brunette, to be Dame-Tsuna's friend. And even Reborn—

"The prefects weren't mafia either," said the small brunette, startling Reborn out of his thoughts, "but they were attacked."

"That's true," said the hitman. "They are searching for the Vongola Decimo. Somehow, they have information that points to Namimori Middle and are trying to draw out the Vongola Decimo by attacking the strongest people in Namimori Middle."

"Then my friends will get hurt in that search," said the former weakling, eyes hard and orange colored. The potential was blinding. "And I won't let them."

There was nothing the hitman could say that would change the boy's mind. His hands tightened into fist, and a pulsing started beneath his hat. Leon had been acting strange and upon hearing the news of the escape of Rokudo Mukuro had gone haywire before settling into cocoon mode. The hitman had assumed that Leon had gone into cocoon mode for the brat's life-and-death challenge, since the Ninth would no doubt send orders for the brat to neutralize the threat. But the chameleon had yet to react to Tamaki the way it had to Dino. And now Leon had pulsed in response to the former weakling's determination.

"I can't let you deal with the problem," said Reborn. Should the small brunette go to Kokuyo land, Reborn's orders would become impossible to obey for more than one reason. "It's the stupid brat's responsibility."

"Why?" asked the small brunette, his stare almost penetrating Reborn's calm façade.

"The Ninth will send orders for the brat to fix the problem caused by his presence," said the hitman.

"It's not Tamaki-san's fault," said Dame-Tsuna. The strangely gentle but unyielding smile formed on the small brunette's face, shaking the hitman's resolve. "I won't let anyone get hurt, Reborn. I can't."

The pulsing continued and intensified. And Reborn wondered when he had become weak enough to fall for the former weakling's smiles. He placed a hand quickly on the boy's head and set sun flames on the irritated wound. He then hopped off the boy's shoulder and landed on a nearby wall.

"If you get killed," said the hitman, refusing to turn around and check that the flames had worked, "don't blame me."


	19. Illusions

Chapter 19: _Illusions_

A kick awakened Tsuna as he fell face down off his bed onto the floor.

"Time to wake up, Dame-Tsuna," said a horrible voice. Reborn hadn't been in Tsuna's room for more than a month. Why now? Tsuna groaned and sat up. "Good morning."

Tsuna glared through half-asleep eyes at the deceptively cherubic face. The tiny hand moved, and green filled Tsuna's vision. The small brunette barely caught the round, glowing orb before it hit his face.

"Leon wants to go with you today," said the tiny demon. Tsuna examined the orb and found tired yellow eyes.

"W-what's wrong with him?" asked Tsuna, cringing at the stutter. The wound on his head had healed, but he worried that the hitman would find some new way to torture the small brunette.

"Who knows," said the hitman. "You have half an hour before I wake the brat."

The alarm clock on Tsuna's dresser showed a four followed by two fives. He almost thanked the hitman for waking Tsuna up if Reborn was going to wake Tamaki before 6. Tamaki was not to be messed with before 9. Hurrying into the bathroom, Tsuna grabbed a change of clothes and turned on the water. Fifteen minutes later, he quietly walked into the kitchen pulling a comb through his wet hair.

"Tsu-kun," came a sleepy voice from the doorway. "Are you making more lunches today?"

"Yes, but I'm meeting a friend," said Tsuna as he struggled to get the comb out of a particularly tangled spot. "Could you give Gokudera and Takeshi their bentos and tell them that I'll see them tomorrow? I-I h-have t-to h-help my f-friend w-with a-a f-family s-situation."

"Is this Purple bento-san?" asked his mother. Tsuna nodded, sweat-dropping at his mother's nickname for the head prefect.

"Please don't tell Takeshi and Gokudera which friend," said Tsuna. His mother nodded and hummed as she started to prepare breakfast. Tsuna put some bread in the toaster and took out some riceballs he'd made the night before. Joining his mother in humming, Tsuna packed the riceballs into dark pink, red, and blue wrapped bentos before putting the left overs in an orange wrapped bento in case he or Hibari got hungry on their trip. Tsuna didn't think the prefect would, but it never hurt to be sure. He wished he had time to run by Takesushi and drop off three-no, four more bentos. He hadn't made anything but sushi for Lambo. The little boy wouldn't eat anything that wasn't made by Tsuna while the small brunette was at the sushi shop. Tsuna sighed as he remembered the lengths he had gone to convince Lambo to eat the food made by Yamamoto-san at all. The problem was that Yamamoto-san had a strict rule that Tsuna couldn't make anything but sushi while at Takesushi; the man wanted Tsuna to practice the teen's sushi skills as often as possible. It was a good thing that Lambo liked sushi, otherwise, Tsuna was sure he would have had whining constantly interrupting his training.

The toast popped out of the toaster, and Tsuna picked it up and put it in his mouth. A glance at the clock told Tsuna that he only had five more minutes, so he chewed the bread quickly and swallowed. He broke some eggs and beat them for her mother's omelets, mixing in the proper amount of soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. She smiled and took the egg batter, pouring it carefully into the pan. Their harmonizing hums were interrupted by a thump upstairs. The thump indicated that Tsuna's time was up. He pulled Nana down by a shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"Oh my," said Nana. "I thought that you'd gotten too old for that."

"I'll never be," he told his mother. Reborn's warning echoed in his mind, and he took in his mother, wanting her to know how much he loved her. But Tamaki had always been right. Of the two, his mother needed Tamaki the most. She needed someone who would need her. Tsuna would do whatever he could to make his mother's life more comfortable, but he had long since stop relying on her. He was just extra. "I might be back late."

"So romantic," she said dreamily. "Just like your father."

Tsuna ignored the comparison. She meant well, and he didn't want what could be her last memory of him to be an angry frown. For good measure, he clumsily took her hand and pretended to be one of those suave gentlemen she watched on television sometimes while she made dinner. He nearly lost his balance and had to use her hand to keep from falling. She giggled as he stabilized himself, and he blushed as he pecked her hand.

"Tsu-kun's acting so strange this morning," she said with a strained smile, and Tsuna knew his actions had worried her.

"I-I t-thought you'd like it," whispered Tsuna, his blush heating up further. "I h-haven't b-been around much s-since R-Reborn g-got here a-and I-I'm leaving e-early t-today…"

"So thoughtful," said his mother. "But don't worry, Tamaki's keeping me company, and he's even been bringing some friends home lately."

The words confirmed Tsuna's worst fears and firmest convictions. His mother's worry had vanished, and the sweet woman would have Tamaki to look after. She would be fine without Tsuna. Smiling his warmest smile, he let go of her hand and took the orange bento off the counter.

"Tsu-kun," the woman said in an almost desperate whisper. Tsuna looked at her over his shoulder. "You've gotten so broad shouldered. I bet even Daddy would be proud."

Tsuna looked forward again, hiding the very frown he didn't want her to see.

"Get out of the way, Dame-Tsuna," growled Tamaki as he shoved Tsuna to the side in order to get into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tamaki," said Tamaki's mother. Tsuna silently slipped into the front entrance. He put on his shoes and looked back.

"Reborn, can I ask you a favor?" asked Tsuna, sensing the hitman on the stairs behind him. He didn't check for a nod. "If I don't come back, take care of them."

"Take care of them yourself, Dame-Tsuna," said the hitman. "I expect Leon to be returned."

"I won't let anything happen to him," said Tsuna, patting the bag that held the spherical chameleon among other things and giving the hitman the best smile he could muster. The hitman didn't look impressed. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna opened the door and ran out to meet the prefect before the sun rose.

* * *

><p>The herbivore hurried towards the gate as the first rays of the sun lit the sky. Sawada Tsunayoshi was one of the few crowding herbivores who were where they should be when they should be there. The herbivore stood shifting like a scared rabbit.<p>

"G-good morning, Hibari," said the herbivore. By the way the unnecessarily large eyes stayed firmly on Hibari despite the fidgeting body, the herbivore expected Hibari to attack. Hibari grunted, indicating that he had no time to play with the unwilling herbivore. The herbivore would keep his word, and Hibari would bite the surprising herbivore later. "I-is something wrong with your neck?"

Hibari instinctively reached for his neck and then glared at the herbivore.

"Don't get in my way, or I'll bite you to death," said the prefect. Only the herbivore would worry about an unimportant bug bite. Reminding himself to bite the Namimori's male nurse, Hibari walked down the road with the herbivore following obediently behind. The prefect sped up, knowing that the herbivore would keep up. The abandon amusement park was several miles away.

The journey was not that different from normal. Hibari set his own pace. He slowed to examine an area and ran through the places where the crowds would soon form. The herbivore copied Hibari's movements, matching the prefect's pace perfectly. Sawada Tsunayoshi asked no other questions and offered no complaints. Perhaps Kusakabe's suggestion to allow the herbivore to join the Disciplinary Committee deserved some consideration. However, when they reached their destination, the herbivore's silence had grown irritating. The large eyes had shrunken and grown annoyingly dark, and so the herbivore's presence had become heavy.

"H-Hibari?" said the herbivore as the prefect stopped.

"Stop making that face or stay here."

"Face?" the herbivore responded, touching his now tolerable face. Without another word, Hibari entered the gates.

"Stop right there," said a dozen or more Kokuyo students. Kusakabe's information had yet to be proven wrong. Hibari let his tonfas fold out and fall out of his sleeves and into his hands.

"For disturbing the peace of Namimori, you will be bitten to death," said Hibari. The unruly herbivores crowded tighter together showing their fear. Their weakness disgusted Hibari. He would make sure they understood the penalty for so cowardly attacking his subordinates. Conscious that the herbivore had stayed back as he had promised and remained out of the line of fire, Hibari surged forward and proceeded to wipe out the pathetic garbage blocking his way. Hopefully, a more worthy opponent hid behind this weak horde. If he wasn't, then Hibari would bite the fake carnivore completely to death.

* * *

><p>Tsuna gave the unconscious girl a pitying glance. Her clarinet sat a few feet from her, and if she had fought someone besides Hibari, the vibrations that it caused would have been more than effective. Sighing as the prefect entered the dilapidated building, Tsuna took a step towards the girl. He checked the girl's pulse. It was strong. So she was just unconscious and bruised. She fared better than the rest, especially the man with the birds. When the bird man had tried to use two psychopaths to trap Tsuna and use him as bait. Tsuna dodged the two psychos' attempt to grab him easily, and Hibari had left the weak old man without teeth and the psychos with every bone of their bodies broken.<p>

Giving the clarinet another glance, the small brunette picked it up. Tsuna couldn't break it. It might be as important to her as the Shigure Kintoki was to Takeshi. But Tsuna couldn't leave it here. If she woke up before Hibari was done, she might try to use it against the prefect and get even more hurt. Besides, Fon had made it clear that one never left an enemy with an opening to attack. If you didn't permanently disable the enemy, then you took the method of attack away from the enemy. You avoided the deaths of your allies that way.

Keeping the image of Gokudera, Takeshi, and Hana in his head, Tsuna stuck the clarinet into the bag that held the bento, a still cocooned Leon, and a few more vital items. The blue material beneath the bento caught his attention, and it seemed to call to him by the heat. It simmered under his skin and told him to put on Fon's present. Fon had made Tsuna promise to wear the outfit whenever the small brunette fought. But Tsuna wouldn't be doing any fighting. Hibari had the situation more than under control, and if Tsuna stepped in, Hibari would attack Tsuna for the small brunette's impudence. But the orange-embroidered blue would not sit quietly in Tsuna's bag.

Scanning the area, Tsuna found a spot behind some trees that was out of sight. Fighting back a blush at thought of changing in a public place (didn't matter that no one conscious was anywhere near), Tsuna took off his school outfit and put on the kung fu uniform. He would have brought his leather fingerless gloves, but he had not been able to find them. Stepping out behind the tree, Tsuna hoped that Hibari would be too distracted by whoever was hidden in the Kokuyo Land's building to notice that Tsuna had changed. The small brunette was fairly certain that Hibari would not like the outfit. Fon and Hibari had a lot of similarities, and Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that they were related. He hadn't dared ask though, since the two didn't seem to be on good terms. Or so Tsuna had guessed from the fact that Fon constantly avoided Hibari to the point where one could even say that the martial artist was hiding from the head prefect. Tsuna did not want to be anywhere nearby when a confrontation between the two occurred.

A peculiar movement flickered in the corner of Tsuna's eye, and the boy instantly took a defensive stance. A large, wrecking ball flew straight at him, and Tsuna jumped over it. A thrash of winds tore past him, and Tsuna swiveled in the air to avoid the invisible blows. They slithered like snakes, which made them easier to avoid. Hibari's blows were much more unpredictable.

"Who's there?" asked Tsuna. The heat warmed his skin, but it didn't burn intensely. A threat that didn't act like a threat. The attacks should have been consecutive, but this opponent had given Tsuna a chance to land.

"Rokudo Mukuro," said a tall man with two scars on his right cheek. "And your end."

"You're not Rokudo Mukuro," said Tsuna as the large steel ball returned to its owner. The light blue eyes widened in shock, and the ball fell with a thump to the floor. "Why are you saying that you are?"

"Who are you?" asked the man.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. Who are you?" asked Tsuna, oddly relaxed in the stranger's presence. The man radiated a kind, soothing aura, despite his scary appearance.

"I am who I say I am," said the man. "Your end."

The ball twisted and turned and flew back in Tsuna's direction. The small brunette twisted in the air, his bag hitting his side as Tsuna did a full body spin mid-air and fell straight on the ball's chain, cutting the steel ball's momentum. He then jumped off the chain and towards the shocked man, punching the scarred opponent straight in the stomach. The man crumbled under the blow, and Tsuna reminded himself that this man was part of the group that could and would attack Tsuna's friends and brother if Tsuna didn't stop them. But Tsuna backed up and let the man clutch his badly damaged midsection. The small brunette stayed on the chain however, Fon's warnings sounded through his head.

"You cannot defeat me with such a half-hearted will," said Tsuna. The man didn't attack, and the heat soothed. "I-I d-don't w-want to h-hurt you, so p-please l-leave N-Namimori a-alone."

"It's not my choice," the man gasped. "It's his."

"H-his?" asked Tsuna, straightening into the Kaze Ryu's second defensive stance under the word. "T-the r-real R-Rokudo M-Mukuro?"

"I was sent out to distract you while he took care of your violent friend," said the man, "and distract you I must."

Without giving the man a chance to finish his move, Tsuna kicked the chain out of the man's hand and pinned the man by twisting the same hand that had held the chain behind the man's back and pushing the man face first into a tree. The man grimaced in pain, but the sickening warmth distracted Tsuna from feeling guilty.

"What is he going to do with Hibari?"

"Your friend is strong, but Rokudo Mukuro doesn't play fair," said the man, almost too willing to share information. "He knows your friend's current weakness."

Weakness? Hibari didn't have weaknesses. The prefect fought too fiercely and took too much care of his skill to have weaknesses, but…Tsuna could remember the strange spot on Hibari's neck that looked like a bug bite but held a more light pink tone that should have been possible.

"You should give up now," said the man, distracting Tsuna from the boy's swirling thoughts. "Rokudo Mukuro isn't a man to be taken down by mere force."

Tsuna found himself listening intensely to the man's words.

"Do you think that I would fight for a mere teenager? He was part of my _famiglia_. My boss picked him up. He had a soft spot for lost kids." The man's tone made Tsuna think that perhaps the man had been one of those lost kids. "I showed the boy the ropes as they had been shown to me. My _famiglia_ was everything to me, and I thought it would be for him. But it wasn't. One day, I woke up to find my whole _famiglia_ dead and their blood on my hands."

"W-why?" asked Tsuna. This man could never kill those close to him.

"Rokudo Mukuro," whispered the man. Tsuna let the man go, but the small brunette kept the man's gaze fixed on Tsuna's.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

><p>The proud prefect lay on the ground, and Chikusa and Ken took turns beating the weakened teen. This one needed extra attention. Mukuro sat on his chair and perched his head on the back of his hands. Lancia-sempai would have taken care of that small brunette who had been tagging behind the violent prefect. Strange to see someone with the infamous Hibari who hated crowds, but other than an odd miss by the twins, the brunette had been nothing but a normal, extraordinarily adorable teen. But then, Hibari had a weakness for cute things. And cherry blossoms. Good thing that Trident Shamal had accidently injected the otherwise unstoppable prefect with that disease. Otherwise, Mukuro would have had to use his full skills on someone not related to the mafia. And now was not the time for that. The mafia had to go first.<p>

"Hey, Kakapi, leave some face for me," said Ken as he maneuvered past the quiet teen who had been using the downed prefect's face for target practice. The infamous Hibari had managed to move his head and avoid serious lacerations, but the cherry blossoms would soon weaken him further. Mukuro would have thrown the prefect into the underground cellar by now, but the attack on Birds had cost Mukuro greatly. The illusionist had hoped to use the crazy man and his two minions to test the Vongola Decimo once the rankings uncovered who the future Vongola heir was.

"Do what you want," said Chikusa, storing his needles back in his jacket.

"Let's see what bear mode can do," said Ken, exchanging his teeth. His hands and arms thickened and mouth stretched forward. No illusion would make the blonde more bizarre-looking, but the strength of those mutated arms was certainly not fake. Ken lifted one paw-like hand and slammed it down. "W-what! Get out of the way, pipsqueak!"

"No," came a calm, powerful face. Mukuro leaned forward as the dust cloud made by the intruder's entrance and Ken's slash. Crossed hands kept Ken's blow from falling on the weakened prefect. "You won't lay another hand on him."

"And who's going to stop me? You?" growled Ken. "I've seen puppy dogs more scary than you. Here, I'll show you."

The blonde quickly exchanged teeth, his features elongating and becoming more pointed. Ken used the speed of his wolf mode to circumnavigate the small brunette. The small brunette grabbed Ken by the scruff of the neck.

"I said no," the small brunette whispered before throwing the blonde clear across the room. The blonde smacked head first against a wall. Chikusa instantly pulled out his yoyo, but the small brunette kicked the blue haired boy's right hand. The needle expert slid backwards to avoid the blow, and the small brunette threw a punch at Chikusa's face. A crack sounded as Chikusa's glasses broke. Mukuro took that as his cue to make his entrance.

"Well done," said Mukuro, clapping slowly. "I see why the infamous Hibari allowed you to trail after him like a lost puppy. You're more interesting than you look."

Orange glowing eyes showed no surprise at the disappearance of the illusion covering Mukuro's form. Did this small weak-looking brunette already know that Mukuro was there? This strange boy became more and more interesting by the minute.

"And may ask who you are?" asked the illusionist, not recognizing the boy from any of the information collected so far.

"…stop this," said the small brunette.

"Stop what? My associates and I were merely defending ourselves. He attacked us," said Mukuro.

"You attacked members of Namimori Middle's disciplinary committee. He fought to protect more from being hurt."

"Really? Seemed to me like he just wanted to fight," said Mukuro, peering closely at the small brunette who resembled a bedraggled cat earlier. This boy was not cat. This one was a lion. Or perhaps lion cub was more appropriate. "And what are you doing? Helping defend the honor of Namimori Middle's Disciplinary Committee?"

"Hibari's my friend."

"Friend?" Mukuro said, eyebrow raised. This lion cub was _friends_ with Namimori's resident monster. The illusionist didn't have to fake his laughter. "Kufufu, you're friends. And so you would give your life for his."

"Yes," said Tsuna. Mukuro shifted into the fourth path and used the increased speed to appear in front of the small brunette and whisper in the lion cub's ear.

"Too bad I'm not interested in your life."

Mukuro swung his trident, and the small brunette ducked under it. As Mukuro had guessed, the small brunette was a martial artist of some kind. Most probably a Chinese sort by the clothes he was wearing. The fifth realm might have been needed, if Mukuro was fighting alone. Ken slashed at the small brunette's back, almost catching the elaborate fabric, but the small brunette rolled away in time. Chikusa sent a spray of needles in the small brunette's direction, and the small brunette leapt to avoid it. Mukuro sped and got behind the small brunette's back.

"Too bad your efforts were useless," said the illusionist. "You could have been interesting."

The small brunette elbowed the illusionist, but Mukuro switched to path one and put a thick column between him and the small brunette. The small brunette's elbow went through it as if it weren't there (and technically it wasn't) and caught the side of Mukuro's stomach.

"Mukuro-sama!" cried Ken in needless worry. The blow hadn't been direct, so the damage had been minimal. Nevertheless, the blonde swapped teeth and gained speed. Cheetah mode was hard to outrun, but the small brunette dodged the blonde's lunge effortlessly. The rain of needles fell on solid cement as the small brunette rolled past the barrage and resumed his place in front of the semi-conscious prefect.

"You are more interesting than I thought," said the illusionist, taking the pause to regain his breath and push down the pain. He would not be stopped by a nobody, especially not a pathetic brunette with surprising abilities. Not many could see through Mukuro's illusions so easily. "Maybe you can be of some use after all."

"Forget him, Mukuro-sama," growled Ken. "He's just getting lucky."

"Don't underestimate him," said Mukuro harshly, reminding Ken who was the master and who was the dog. "We've already been making that mistake. He's determined to save his friend."

"N-no, I-I'm n-not," said the small brunette, scratching his blushing cheek. The intense orange had left, and his eyes had become brown. "Hibari doesn't need to be saved."

A blur of black materialized behind the small brunette and attacked Ken. Chikusa sprayed his needles, but the black blur appeared before the blue haired needle user could finish. Both Chikusa and Ken lay in heaps under the unexpected onslaught. They probably wouldn't be able to get up again.

"I told you not to get in my way, herbivore," said the infamous Hibari, tonfas dirtied with Mukuro's toys' blood.

"I-I'm s-sorry," said the small brunette, backing up a half step. The grey eyes sharpened further.

"Those clothes are not allowed by the dress code." Taking several steps back, the small brunette held up his hands in a helpless defensive gesture. The prefect turned his tonfas on the small brunette. "Change now."

"W-we're n-not i-in s-school, H-Hibari," said the small brunette, finally standing still. "I-I'll c-change b-before w-we l-leave."

The prefect grunted and lowered his tonfas.

"Such a touching scene," said Mukuro, bringing the two's attention back to the illusionist. The two were certainly amusing. "But you're forgetting something."

Pink blossoms floated down from the ceiling, and the almost invincible prefect swayed. The small brunette might have distracted Mukuro and caused the illusionist to break his illusion, but illusions could be remade whenever Mukuro wanted. But what would these naïve boys know about illusions? An innate ability to see through illusions did not mean an understanding of them. A punch headed for the illusionist's face, and Mukuro blocked it with his trident.

"You're stronger than you look," said Mukuro. He put more power into a more subtle illusion, a weakness in the small brunette's limbs. "But you're not strong enough to defeat me."

Whatever allowed the boy to see through illusions did not help him with the one making his arms and legs. The small brunette staggered, his fist sliding off the illusionist trident. So the surprising brunette had no confidence in his own abilities. This would be all too easy. Mukuro would soon have three new toys instead of two. And this small brunette could come become a very interesting addition if used correctly.

"What do you think you are doing?" asked a new voice. A tiny figure dressed in a black suit separated from the shadows. "Are you going to let all of your sensei's teaching to go to waste?"

The small brunette staggered from side to side, but he did not fall. Quivering brown eyes turned to the tiny figure with a yellow pacifier.

"An arcobaleno. What a privilege," said Mukuro. The small brunette's worth was slowly rising. All the arcobaleno had ties with the mafia, and the holder of the yellow pacifier, Reborn, was known to work for the Vongola ninth. Which meant that the small brunette had something to do with the Vongola, maybe he was…but no, the Vongola tenth would not have come here with only one man, and Hibari Kyoya was no one's subordinate.

"Your sensei would be ashamed," continued the arcobaleno, ignoring the illusionist. "After all the work he has put into you, you fall for the simplest of illusions."

"I-Illusion?" said the small brunette.

"Such a weakling," the arcobaleno huffed. He stretched out his hand. "Return Leon."

The small brunette shook and reached into a bag that Mukuro had failed to notice before. So the small brunette had been executing all those maneuvers hampered by that burden. With possible ties to Vongola, the small brunette might be worth more that the illusionist could have imagined. The small brunette pulled out a green glowing orb. He held it, his fingers curled tensely but still gently around the object. Yellow eyes appeared on the ball and gazed wearily at the trembling brunette.

"He's not yours," said the arcobaleno, a hidden depth to his words. "And I won't let Leon hang out with losers who refuse to give all to protect their friends."

The small brunette flinched, and the grip on the ball named Leon tightened. Neither the small brunette nor the arcobaleno moved. Hibari Kyoya would have interrupted the silence by now, but he was using all his effort to stand and glare at the illusionist. How uselessly hostile. The illusionist wouldn't dream of disrupting such a fascinating and potentially informative scene.

"Don't you dare think those thoughts, Dame-Tsuna," the arcobaleno said in fierce tone. He grit his teeth and lowered his fedora. "You aren't that weak."

"W-what?" the small brunette whispered.

"You heard me," said the arcobaleno. "We arcobaleno do not choose our students lightly. Temporary or not."

Students? This small weakling brunette was the student of one of the arcobaleno? That explained the skills the small brunette had displayed. Mukuro did not know enough of the elite seven to guess which one taught the small brunette, but he could probably safely assume it was not the world-renown hitman.

"W-why a-are y-you h-here, R-Reborn?" asked the small brunette, echoing the illusionist's thoughts.

"I was worried about, Leon," said the hitman casually, but his eyes remained hidden under his hat. "So return him."

"No." The small brunette's eyes widened a fraction before returning to their earlier intensity. "I'll protect them." The orange glazed gaze flickered towards the struggling prefect. "All of them."

A bright yellow light blinded everyone in the room. A crack sounded, and then another and another. When the light show finished, the orb was gone from the small brunette's hand, and in its place were a pair of orange leather fingerless gloves with lion patches ironed on the back and copper rimmed glasses.

"L-Leon t-took t-these?" said the small brunette, lifting up the gloves and then examining the glasses. "I-I d-don't n-need g-glasses."

The items were far from impressive, but then so the small brunette had appeared at first. Perhaps it was time to finish this before the small brunette figured out exactly what those things did.

"Trinkets won't save you," said Mukuro with a chuckle. "I guess it's time to see what you're really up against."

Before another word could come from either the arcobaleno or the small brunette, Mukuro created an illusion to surge forward. The small brunette didn't move, obviously seeing through the illusion, but the small brunette cried in pain as the rocks hidden in the ghost pelted him. Mukuro resisted the urge to switch back to the fourth path. Shifting between paths had been what had dispelled the illusionary cherry blossoms earlier. He would have to stick to illusions in order to deal with one opponent at a time, but that was hardly a handicap.

A glaring orange appeared in the illusionist's face, and Mukuro stepped to the side to avoid it exploding into his face. The small brunette's stance stood much firmer than before, but what caught Mukuro's attention was the glow that lit the small brunette's hands. Mukuro had seen many battle auras, but this one differed in its solidity. His face had felt heat from that glow that looked about to set the gloves on fire, and the illusionist had no doubt that those gloves would burn if they touched his skin.

"You figured it out," said the arcobaleno smugly. "The Dying Will flames are no battle aura. They are as real as any normal fire. Get too close, and you will get burned. Don't forget the glasses, Dame-Tsuna."

The illusionist cursed inwardly at allowing the arcobaleno to distract him, but the damage was done. The small brunette had put on the spectacles. A blazing flame appeared on the small brunette's forehead.

"I hate to tell you, but your head is on fire," said the illusionist, hoping to catch the small brunette off guard. But the words were completely ignored as the small brunette looked around the room through what was now an orange tinted visor.

"I was wrong," said the small brunette. The doubly orange eyes landed on the illusionist, and Mukuro tightened his hold on his trident to hide the tremor that ran through his body. The danger radiating from the small brunette was something that Mukuro had never faced. It held no cruelty, no pride, no irritation, or even anger. But it would defeat and bring down Mukuro nonetheless. "I needed these."

Before Mukuro could break the orange gaze, the small brunette was already on him. The illusionist found himself sailing through the air, but instead of hitting the wall or the floor, he flew straight into a another punch. Another awaited him in the other direction. Soon, he was surrounded and never once hit the building's floor or walls. He quickly shut his eyes and hoped that the small brunette was as naïve as the surprising boy had appeared. It seemed to work as the illusionist finally fell to the ground. His lungs ached as he put air back into them.

"Mukuro Rokudo," said the small brunette. So he had not fallen for Mukuro's feigned unconsciousness. "I will give you one chance. Give up and leave Namimori alone."

"Kufufu," chuckled the illusionist, though it pained him to do so. He must no show his weakness to his opponent, his enemy. He pushed himself into a standing position. "I will do as I please. I plan to take over the world, starting with the mafia."

"I heard from Lancia-san about what the mafia has done to you," said the small brunette. Mukuro made a mental note to torture his first toy for the betrayal. "But those who you have chosen to chase have nothing to do with the Mafiosos that experimented on you."

"But they are Mafiosos," said Mukuro, buying time to gain strength for one more illusion, a real illusion. He had only begun to experiment with the idea, but nothing else would work against this enemy. He would use the possession bullet, but the prefect had left most of Mukuro's toys too broken to use. "And all Mafiosos are the same."

"Even Lancia-san?" said the small brunette, those eyes ablaze and unwavering. "He welcomed you into his _famiglia_, treated you like a little brother, and you betrayed him. Tell me, who was the cruel one there? Lancia-san or you?"

Mukuro closed his eyes and brushed off the accusation. This untainted child knew nothing of the world. He knew nothing of the mercilessness that surrounded every move the mafia made. The illusionist had simply betrayed the tall Mafioso before the Mafioso could betray him. And by possessing the man, Mukuro thought he had taken care of the betrayal problem, but apparently, he hadn't.

"And what is the mafia to you that you feel such a need to defend it?" asked Mukuro, wondering if the response would be what he hoped.

"It's scary," said the small brunette. "The mafia is scary. But there are people who are mafia who aren't scary. Like Lancia-san. People who don't deserve you to hurt them and try to destroy them."

"And so like the noble hero, you fight for them," said Mukuro, a little disappointed at the predictability of the reply. He hadn't expected the small brunette to be part of any _famiglia_ despite his connections to two arcobaleno, but the illusionist had hoped for a more original answer.

"No. I don't know those people. I couldn't fight for them," the small brunette whispered. "I told you before. I fight for my friends."

"Either way, your fight ends here," said Mukuro, mustering all his strength to send a solid form of the prefect at the small brunette. If this boy was so fixated on his friends, he should hesitate to attack one. The small brunette did freeze, and the Hibari Kyoya illusion sent a tonfa straight at the small brunette's head. But the hesitation wasn't enough, and the Hibari Kyoya clone lay unconscious on the floor and then disappeared.

Mukuro used the last of his strength to summon an illusion of him escaping, but the brunette appeared right next to the illusionist and grabbed Mukuro's arm.

"I'm sorry," the small brunette whispered, and then pain flooded through Mukuro's body emanating from his neck. He barely had time to switch bodies and listen to the following conversation from Ken's unresponsive body.

"Reborn, call whoever it is that needs to come get them."

"I don't take orders from you," said the arcobaleno. Ken's sensitive hearing caught what could be a hint of longing in the famous hitman's tone. But why would an arcobaleno want to take orders from anyone? "And I don't need to. They're already here."

Chains rattled and wrapped themselves around Ken's body, and the blonde's struggling lungs burned with the added tightness.

"W-who a-are t-they?" asked the small brunette, his voice back to that quivering sound.

"The Vindice. Do not interfere with their job," said the arcobaleno.

"W-wait! D-did y-you t-take t-the m-man o-outside?" the small brunette asked, ignoring the arcobaleno's dark warning.

"That is no business of yours," said the mechanical sounding voice of the Vendicare guards. How Ken would hate having to hear them again.

"T-that m-man's d-done n-nothing w-wrong," the small brunette continued, and Mukuro was displeased at the thought that he would not even have time to plan his revenge. The Vindice did not take threats to their authority lightly. "H-he w-was p-possessed!"

"We will determine innocence and guilt after reviewing the truth uncovered by this incident. Until then, he will be taken like the rest."

"N-no, p-please," said the small brunette. "M-Mukuro, h-he'll—"

"We do not negotiate."

A slight pause followed the finality in those words, but the small brunette said the words which would embed themselves in Mukuro's consciousness for the following weeks.

"Not even with the future Vongola Decimo?"


	20. Side Effects

Chapter 20: _Side Effects_

Tsuna bit back a sigh of relief as his heart returned to its proper place. He couldn't rest. Hibari had left as soon as the "negotiations" had started to check the perimeter for further threats and probably to regain enough strength to pound Tsuna to the ground. However, Hibari was not who Tsuna was currently worried about. The little demon hitman had yet to say a word since Tsuna had claimed his brother's title. It had been the only thing the small brunette could think of to save Lancia from returning to that prison. Tsuna had not felt that same sickening warmth that he had with Hibari, but the man hadn't done anything. He shouldn't have to go to prison for someone else's actions.

"Thank you for your help, Vongola Decimo," said the tall man with a slight bow, his light blue eyes staying on Tsuna. Tsuna gulped and prayed that his death would be a quick one. When nothing happened, Tsuna dared to peek out from behind his hair at the too-quiet hitman. The hitman had his eyes closed, and a bubble blew from his nose. Tsuna didn't know whether he wanted to tear his hair out or sag in relief at the fact that the demon was asleep.

Closing his eyes, Tsuna listened to the pulse of the heat. It had soothed to an almost unnoticeable simmer. The bandaged men were gone. Tsuna's knees collapsed beneath him, and he had to stretch out hands to keep his head from hitting the ground. As he caught himself, his hands shook, the heat leaving and letting him fully feel the pounding pain in his shoulder (he had thought he dodged all of them) and then his arms. The growling look on the blonde's face appeared in Tsuna's mind along with the creepiness in Rokudo Mukuro's face and the ruthless indifference in the black-haired teen's. And then the bandaged men's silent and cold manner that had made the heat almost leave Tsuna standing frozen in front of the black, lethal men made Tsuna's arms give out under him and the bag to fall off his shoulder.

"S-so s-scary," he whispered, clutching the ground and struggling against the bile rising in his throat.

"Get up," said a harsh voice. "That's not the way a future mafia boss should act."

Letting his head fall to the ground and the glasses to slip off his face, Tsuna adjusted his trembling limbs into a dogeza. He collapsed several times as his unsteady body unbalanced him with thoughts of what could have been and what might be, but he finally achieved the proper form.

"I-I-I'm s-so…s-sorry!" stuttered Tsuna, his voice ten times worse.

"I told you to get up," the voice commanded, and Tsuna would have shot up if he had had the strength. "And what have I said about stuttering?"

"I-I-I—" Tsuna stopped and took a deep breath. He was in no danger. The heat hadn't returned to its burning state. Reborn wouldn't kill the small brunette, not yet. Not if Tsuna used the last of his strength to shift his unstable body into a sitting position. "I-I'm—I'm sorry. I….I wanted to save Lancia-san."

"And you saved him," said the hitman. "But there are consequences. You declared to the Vindice that you were the future Vongola Decimo. And no one lies to the Vindice."

"B-bu—But you said that it was T-Ta—Tamaki-san's responsibility to take d-de—defeat Mukuro. S-so— so I let him," said Tsuna, hoping that the hitman would agree with the small brunette's reasoning. Again, no one claimed Tsuna was smart.

"The Vindice left Lancia in the custody of the future Vongola Decimo on the conditions that he be returned to them should the evidence declare his guilt. The cost was that if the man was not to be found under the Vongola's guardianship when the Vindice came for him, that Vongola would have to pay for their negligence. So either you become the Vongola Decimo or suffer both the Vindice and the Vongola's wrath."

"The Vindice won't come after Lancia-san! He's innocent!" protested Tsuna. He had expected some violent (and painful, very painful) punishment, but the demon had decided that Tsuna had to make his lie truth. Maybe this insistence that he had to be the Vongola tenth was a punishment? Reborn had said that Tsuna would never be considered as the Vongola Decimo. And after seeing Reborn's tutoring methods, Tsuna had found comfort in the statement. What was the demon trying to prove? "A-an—and Tamaki-san can watch him."

"And why would the brat do that?" said the demon.

"I-I—I'll ask him," said Tsuna, his breath leaving him. He couldn't stay upright much longer. "H-he p-promised t-to help m-me f-for helping h-him with h-his p-project…"

"Dame-Tsuna, the brat doesn't respect favors," said the hitman.

"B-but a…mafia b-boss…h-has…h-has t-to k-keep…h-his w-word," Tsuna stuttered between increasingly difficult breaths. His body ceased obeying his brain's commands and fell forward. His head landed on something soft.

"That's why you will be the Vongola Decimo," said Reborn, sounding strangely close. Tsuna wanted to argue, but his eyes closed and his mind became blank before he could.

* * *

><p>Lancia froze between moving or standing still as the strange brunette fell forward. The arcobaleno solved Lancia's distress as he caught the boy before his head hit the ground. Cradling the strange brunette's head carefully, the arcobaleno check the boy for injuries. A yellow glow surrounded the strange brunette, and the famous hitman then turned to Lancia.<p>

"Don't stand there being useless," said the hitman. "He needs professional medical attention."

Before Lancia could move, the demon teen from earlier appeared and picked the unconscious brunette up.

"You will fight me, herbivore," the demon teen growled. He slung the strange brunette over his shoulder.

"Wait," said the hitman as he took the fallen glasses and put them in the strange brunette's bag. The demon teen glared at the arcobaleno who remained unfazed. "Take this. And also, the man has to accompany him. If he doesn't, he won't be able to fight you."

The demon teen grunted and turned his glare on Lancia. The glare would make lesser men tremble, but though the tall teen had seen few men fight as fiercely as the demon teen, it would take more to impress one of Italy's strongest.

"Move," said the arcobaleno.

"The kid," Lancia said, almost blurting the words out. The demon teen's glare had nothing on the arcobaleno's. "There's a kid being held downstairs. Let me get him."

"You have five minutes. If you're not back here, then the Vindice will have to make do with your body."

Knowing that the famous hitman did not make empty threats, Lancia hurried down the stairs. He nearly tripped over the boy shaking at the bottom of the steps. The man crouched down, hoping to calm the child by the decrease in height difference. The dirty blonde head ducked behind the large book the boy had clung to so tightly this entire time.

"It's alright," Lancia said softly. "He's gone."

Brown eyes quivered as they peered above the book. Lancia slowly stretched out a hand and placed it on the boy's head. The boy didn't move, not to lean in to the hand and not to pull away. The scared boy was deciding whether or not trust Lancia. Unfortunately, they only had three minutes left. Lancia picked the boy up, ignoring the boy's struggles. The man understood the boy's fear, but the man also knew that he could not leave the boy here. And they didn't have time.

"My book!" the boy cried. The large red volume had been dropped in the boy's squirming. "Please, my book."

The book had landed at the bottom of the stairs, and they had two minutes left. The anguish on the boy's face was all it took to convince the tall man to bound down the steps and retrieve the book. A bullet whizzed by the man's head, and the boy screeched.

"You have one minute," said the world famous hitman, a gun smoking next to his head. With surge of new energy, the man ran up the stairs, and the boy whimpered quietly. The demon teen glared fiercer than before as Lancia reentered the empty theater. Blood had stained the teen's jacket.

"Keep up or I will bite you to death," the demon teen said. He then turned and ran at an almost inhuman speed despite the weight on his back. Lancia cursed (he hated to run) and chased after the demon teen. The man lost the teen in a few places, but the teen would appear through the trees or on top of a building at a slower pace before increasing his speed again when the man caught sight of him. A white building soon loomed ahead, and Lancia decreased his speed. His breath had started to flag, and the boy had long since gone into unconsciousness. When they entered the hospital, a flurry of activity surrounded the man, and Lancia didn't have time to react as the boy was taken away.

"You don't appear to be injured," said a nurse as she gave him a quick look over. "Are you one of the ones that Hibari-san said needed assistance?"

"No, I'm fine," said Lancia. "It's the boy—"

"Yes, I've already looked him over," said the nurse, waving away his words. "He's suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion. The other one, however, is a more severe case. Are you the one that Hibari-san said needs to be kept abreast of Sawada-kun's condition then?"

Not knowing what else to do, Lancia nodded. He had to stay near the strange brunette, or else risk the wrath of both the Vindice and the arcobaleno. Besides, the small brunette had risked his life to save Lancia. The man owed the boy.

"Good. We can't figure out exactly what's wrong with him, as I told Hibari-san. I'm fast, not a miracle worker. He has first degree burns all over his body, and the ones on his hands and forehead border on second degree. He's also bleeding from a couple of small puncture wounds on his right shoulder. Given the green edges on the wounds, they appear to be poisoned. Also, his arms appear to have multiple hairline fractures. Other than that, Hibari-san is in worse condition, not that he'll let us take care of that. But the poison is a problem. One I would like to fix. So if you have any information in regards to the poison, it would be greatly appreciated."

Carefully, Lancia retrieved several bottles from his pocket. He had made sure to take them from the unconscious Chikusa when the Vindice had let the man go.

"The poison or its antidote might be found among these," said Lancia, handing them over to the nurse.

"Thank you. This will definitely help. You can go stand with him if you like. He's being held over there in the waiting area until we can figure out what to do with him."

The nurse breezed past Lancia and headed through a door that was labeled in Japanese kanji. Lancia had been in enough hospitals to guess that the sign said "employees only." The man stuck his hands in his pockets and strode in the direction the nurse had pointed. After passing two electronic doors, the man found the strange brunette lying limp on a cot. The arcobaleno sat next to the brunette's cot, his gaze not leaving the strange brunette. Lancia was not foolish enough to believe that the hitman had not registered the man's presence.

Lancia examined the strange brunette who had defeated Rokudo Mukuro and negotiated with the Vindice. The brunette's skin was pale with large red patches swathing it. No mask covered the brunette's mouth, but it stayed open as the brunette took gasping breaths. The wild brown hair that had flown around the boy's face like a mane as he fought stuck to the boy's forehead in a tangled mess. And other than the boy's chest up and down movement, the boy (he looked so young almost engulfed by the sheets) had not moved.

"He won't wake up for several hours," said the arcobaleno, leaping off the chair. "Stay with him."

"Where will you be?" asked Lancia.

"I have matters to take care of," said the arcobaleno. The hitman didn't turn to face the man. "His decision cannot be discovered. If you leave his side—"

"I won't," Lancia said. He gazed at the boy who had risked much more than he knew for a stranger. "I will remain by the Vongola Decimo's side."

* * *

><p>The three had gathered around the desk next to the window. Hana glared at the seat and then at the other two.<p>

"And neither of you knows where he is," she said slowly.

"He had already left his house when we got there," said Takeshi, as he put his hand on the desk. "We thought he'd gone ahead to spar with Hibari before helping whatever friend his mother mentioned."

"That man isn't here either," said the idiot monkey.

"They had a falling out yesterday," said Hana, knowing that she had caught the two boys' attentions, "while you two went off to attempt to intimidate Kyoko's brother."

Takeshi grinned crookedly, and the idiot monkey huffed and looked away. Hana could have told the two that their attempt would be useless. Kyoko's brother had a stubborn streak several miles wide, and a single-mindedness that wouldn't be swayed because an idiot monkey showed him bluffing dynamite and an over-protective baseball player flashed a sword. She gave them points for trying though.

"Where's Tsuna?" asked Kyoko, joining the three. She would have come earlier, but the cute girl had been busy with the sweets club. They had been making tea cakes, and given the package the cute girl was holding, she had brought one for the missing brunette.

"Absent," said Hana. "You didn't realize he was missing during class?"

"N-no," the cute girl muttered, blushing. Hana resisted the urge to sigh. The cute girl avoided looking back at Tsuna's seat for fear that the shy boy would catch her looking at him. He had once, and later the small brunette had asked Hana if Kyoko sometimes saw Tamaki in Tsuna. The tall girl had held back an unladylike snort and told him that Kyoko would never confuse Tsuna for Tamaki. "I'm sorry about lunch. Rumiko-chan wanted extra time to make the cake today."

Hana put her hand against her face for extra restraint against that sigh. Hana highly doubted that Rumiko, the president of the sweets club, had needed extra time to make something as simple as a tea cake. Kyoko had probably asked the senior for help in making the tea cake to impress a certain someone.

"It's alright. It wasn't as fun without Tsuna," said Takeshi.

"I'm sorry for not being entertaining enough for you," said Hana.

"Don't compare yourself to Tsuna-sama, stupid wench!" growled the idiot monkey.

"'Tsuna-sama' wouldn't mind the comparison," said Hana to irritate the idiot monkey further.

"Tsuna wouldn't want you to fight either," said Takeshi, cutting into Hana's amusement. The tall girl gave the baseball player a flat look. She hated when other people used logic against her.

"Get out!" a girl yelled, slamming the door open and gaining the attention of the few people still in the room as she motioned towards one of the other girls in the corner. "I just saw him and he's-"

"Who?" asked one of the girls who had been ogling Takeshi from a corner. More fangirls had stayed than usual thanks to Tsuna's absence. Apparently the small brunette ruined the view. As if Hana needed more proof that most of their classmates didn't share a brain cell between them.

"Hibari!" the girl shrieked. "And he's…he's…"

"Move," said a dark voice. The girl automatically complied before freezing, almost unable to breath. The sight that stepped out from behind the girl made Hana go rigid. It was indeed Hibari, but he was not the normal sharp eyed predator which had any Namimori student (or citizen) shaking at a glance. No, this time the prefect had a murderous aura that suffocated the whole room, one of a predator who was wounded in a battle he had lost. And he headed straight towards them. Hana suddenly gained a new appreciation for the missing brunette who faced this monster daily. The burning steel grey locked on each of them in turn. "The herbivore is in the hospital."

And the spell cast by the predator's wounded anger broke.

"What did you do?" Hana demanded. School prefect or not, he could not hurt Tsuna. Takeshi had reached for the wooden sword the baseball player had taken to carrying everywhere, and Gokudera had pulled out the bluffing dynamites. Hana hoped the idiot monkey would use them this time.

"Herbivores shouldn't follow carnivores alone," said the prefect. "They should stay in packs."

What in the world was the prefect saying? Where was the tall delinquent who followed the head prefect around? Surely he could translate wild boar.

"Tsuna followed you? Where?" asked Takeshi, the grip on his bamboo sword tightening but the fingers seemed too tense to hold the sword correctly.

"I had prey to bite to death."

"The attacks," gasped Kyoko. The group turned to the cute girl. "I heard from Rumiko-chan that her boyfriend, Komaru, was attacked, and then another of their friends."

"Komaru the delinquent-turned-prefect?" asked Hana. The cute girl nodded. "And you went to avenge your underling?"

The prefect wasn't as complying as to nod, but by the lack of hostility from the prefect seemed to confirm Hana's conclusion.

"Tsuna went to fight with you?" asked Takeshi. Again, the prefect didn't nod.

"Tsuna-sama…got hurt…?" asked idiot monkey as if choking on the words. The prefect's lack of reaction left a heavy silence on the room. The bluffing dynamites disappeared, and the idiot monkey tightened his hands into fist and started to raise them but stopped the motion almost immediately. "…Tsuna-sama left…"

"Tsuna left without telling us anything," said Hana in a mix of anger and frustration. Hibari grunted. He turned and headed for the door, but he threw glare over his shoulder.

"The herbivore doesn't speak when he needs to be heard."

After the prefect left, a clatter sounded. The sword that meant so much to Takeshi sat on the classroom floor. Hana wished that she could pick it up and slam it into the head of a surprisingly stubborn brunette. But Tsuna was probably too injured for that. And that wouldn't get through to the small brunette. Hana was starting to think that nothing would.

* * *

><p>The brunette teen lay still, as he had for several hours. Fuuta idly wondered if the motionless teen held a high rank for most death-like when asleep. The nurse that had checked Fuuta over had come in earlier and given the teen an injection that was supposed to make him better. Fuuta had never liked needles, and he wasn't sure they really made anyone better. The Italian boy studied the man in the chair next to the bed. Lancia had offered to let Fuuta have the chair, but Fuuta had declined. The boy preferred to sit on the floor where he could feel closer to the earth and less in space. Mother had insisted that Fuuta stay close to the floor. She hadn't wanted Fuuta to fly off in one of his "flights of fancy" as she had called them. But that was before the ranking planet had started to send Fuuta stronger messages and reduced gravity around him.<p>

Fuuta wrapped his arms harder around his Ranking book and scooted closer to Lancia. Lancia was ranked #12 out of 54220 Mafiosos who would protect children. And the Ranking Planet was never wrong, even if sometimes the rain muddled Fuuta's connection to it. Maybe that is what had happened when it had told Fuuta that Namimori was the #3 out of 124333 places where Mafioso would not be able to get Fuuta. Or maybe the ranking was too specific. The Ranking Planet liked to keep its rankings more factual than personal. But Fuuta had wanted to know if the new Vongola Decimo candidate's hometown would make a good place to stay. Papa had wanted Fuuta to find a safe place, a place where Fuuta could be useful, not used. And the new Vongola Decimo candidate had offered a good opportunity. The Vongola was the most powerful mafia _famiglia_. If Fuuta could make the Vongola Decimo give him sanctuary, then Fuuta would be safe. But the future Vongola Decimo had ranked #12 out of 534 mafia boss candidates that would not hesitate to use Fuuta, and Papa had not wanted that. Namimori had still ranked high in safety, so Fuuta had come hoping for a solution and had instead been caught and used. Papa had no doubt been crying in heaven.

And then a demon had stormed the hideout of Mukuro Rukudo (the illusionist was ranked #4 out of 34512 most devious men related to the mafia). And when the demon had fallen to Mukuro's trap, the Vongola Decimo had charged in and saved his friend. Fuuta hadn't heard what the deal had been between the Vongola Decimo and the Vindice was, because the Vindice ranked #1 out of all 1029492 organizations in the world that would use Fuuta without remorse. Fuuta left as soon as the brunette teen had declared himself Vongola Decimo. But why would a person who saved a demon take advantage of a little boy with no place to stay?

Fuuta pinched his arm as Papa had taught the boy to do if he started to pity himself. Blessed, that's what Papa had said every day. Fuuta wasn't cursed or burdened with a heavy responsibility, but blessed beyond imagining. No one else could connect to the ranking planet. And when it wasn't raining, the ranking planet was never wrong. Fuuta gazed longing at the door, but Lancia wouldn't leave the unconscious brunette's side. Fuuta didn't want to leave the man's protection. The young boy didn't want to keep running.

"Get up. You're leaving," said the arcobaleno from the doorway.

"I thought I was to stay with the Vongola Decimo until the Vindice re—" started Lancia.

"Dame-Tsuna is in no condition to watch you," said the infant hitman. Fuuta knew better than to question an arcobaleno's logic, especially the famous hitman's. Otherwise, he would ask why Lancia had been left in the Vongola Decimo's "care" until now.

"And who will look after the Decimo?" asked Lancia.

"His _famiglia_," said the hitman. "They are on their way up."

"Why were they not here earlier?"

"They didn't know where he was."

"Didn't he tell them?" asked Fuuta in attempt to understand the mystery of the Vongola Decimo. The brunette teen seemed less and less like the villain the ranking planet had implied he was.

"No," said Reborn. The hitman headed out the door, indicating that the conversation was over. Lancia gave the unconscious brunette a quick look over. The man then went down on one knee beside the bed, took the sickly pale hand, and kissed it.

"I will return, Vongola Decimo," said Lancia. "I swear it."

The man stood and followed the arcobaleno, leaving Fuuta to do the same. Fuuta tried to figure out exactly what the Vongola Decimo had said to gain the loyalty of the strongest man in Italy, but perhaps Fuuta was thinking the wrong thing. Maybe it was what the Vongola Decimo had done that had impressed the tall man.

The three took the elevator to the ground floor. As soon as they stepped onto the ground floor, the yells reached their ears.

"What do you mean that we can't go visit him?"

A quieter voice answered, but the yells only changed in sound and pitch.

"Listen to the stupid wench and let us through or we'll force our way through."

"I don't want to call security on you," said the same quieter voice of earlier. The reduced distance had rendered the voice understandable. "But you're not giving me much choice."

"Let us in and you won't have to," said the original yelling voice, lower in volume but sharper in tone.

"Look, Kurokawa-chan, was it?" said the quieter voice. "Visiting hours are almost over and the boy has had visitors, he doesn't need anymore. He needs rest. And you wouldn't get much out of the visit as he's unconscious."

As Fuuta turned the corner behind the arcobaleno and Lancia, the two people yelling and their opposition came into view. The same nurse from earlier faced two teens around the age of the unconscious brunette, a male and a female, and the nurse had frown on her face. The male had his hands in his pockets and fingered what might be dynamite if Fuuta's quick look of them had been clear. The female had her hands pressed up against the counter which stood between the two teens and the nurse and leaned forward.

"We'll get his condition," the female teen almost growled. "The medical nonsense you've been spouting makes little difference unless we see him."

"That's his _famiglia_?" muttered Lancia.

"Yes," said the arcobaleno before leaping onto the counter. "Let them in. We're done."

"Reborn!" asked the male teen in a cross between flustered, confused, and agitated. The three emotions quickly vanished and left narrowed eyes. "Where's the moronic imitation?"

"The brat thinks Tsuna's on a three day hike with you three, so he's at his base," said the arcobaleno. "_Mamma_ thinks the same thing."

"And what if Tsuna doesn't recover in three days? What will you tell his mother then?" demanded the female as she backed away from the counter and gripped her jacket's sleeves as she crossed her arms.

"That he got lost," said Reborn. "Dame-Tsuna has gotten lost before."

"Tsuna's not dame," said a new voice. "He never has been."

A third teen leaned against a column. The shadow of the cement pillar had hidden the dark haired teen from Fuuta's view. The dark blonde boy shuffled closer to Lancia while moving to get a better look at the third teen. The shadows engulfed most of the teen's face, leaving Fuuta to guess at the dark haired teen's expression, but it didn't look angry like the other two's. If Fuuta had to guess, he would call the expression blank.

"He is in the hospital," said the arcobaleno, and the two other teens flinched. The third teen melted further into the shadow, making him more unreadable.

"Were you with Tsuna?" asked the shadowed teen.

"I followed him," said the arcobaleno. "These two were there as well."

The teens all focused on Lancia and Fuuta, and Fuuta hid as much as he could behind the tall man. The teens' gazes were intense and unnerving somehow. They were not the ones Fuuta had normally gotten, ones of greed or betrayal or hate or anger. But the gazes held something that Fuuta might have recognized in his mother's eyes when another mother spoke of a son or daughter that was "a sweet, good, normal child."

"Did Tsuna tell you he was going with Hibari?" asked the third teen.

"Not willingly. I had to use my personal methods of persuasion," said the arcobaleno.

"And what methods are those?" asked the female teen. The silver haired male teen bit his lip at the question as if he knew what methods of persuasion the arcobaleno would have used and didn't approve of them.

"You need to get up to him before they close the room to visitors," said the arcobaleno ignoring the question. He hopped off the counter and headed towards the exit. Lancia strode close to the silver haired teen and put a hand on the silver haired teen's shoulder.

"You should keep a better eye on your boss," said the tall man so lowly that Fuuta wouldn't have heard it if the dirty blonde hadn't been sticking so close to the tall man. The silver haired teen's eyes widened, but Lancia kept walking without waiting for a response. Fuuta felt a little bit bad for the teen. How was the teen supposed to keep an eye on the Vongola Decimo if the Vongola Decimo didn't tell his _famiglia_ where he was going? The three Italians exited the hospital and headed down a road Fuuta recognized from the Namimori maps as ending at Namimori's commercial area.

"Where are you going?" asked the dark haired teen from behind them. He wore a large grin that made him almost unrecognizable. He hadn't been that cheerful earlier.

"To your house," said the arcobaleno. "Dame-Tsuna's teacher needs to be informed of his circumstances."

"Tsuna's not dame," said the teen, the grin still stretching across his face. "And I'll come with you. Dad would get mad at me if you told him about Tsuna and not me."

"Is your father the Vongola Decimo's teacher?" asked Lancia.

"Hm? I don't know a Vongola Decimo, but Dad's not Tsuna's teacher. Tsuna's teacher's Fon-sensei," said the teen.

"Fon-sensei? Fon? As in the storm arcobaleno?" asked the tall man.

"You keep using weird words. Are you playing a game? Maybe you're playing that mafia game that Tsuna's brother likes so much. Are you on Tamaki's team?"

"I'm in the mafia," said Lancia, "but it's not a game."

"What else could it be? Tsuna wouldn't be involved in anything as dangerous as the real mafia."

Lancia stopped and stared at the teen before focusing on the arcobaleno.

"I am going back to the hospital," said the tall man.

"The other teen is Smokin' Bomb Hayato. Dame-Tsuna's in good hands," said the arcobaleno, and Fuuta caught a glimpse of tightness on the dark haired teen's features but it went as quickly as it came.

"I told you, kid, he's not Dame," said the teen. "Are these new friends of Tamaki?"

"No. Their allegiance lies with Tsuna," said the arcobaleno before casting a fleeting look at Fuuta. He started walking again. "At least the man's does. He's Lancia. Lancia, this is Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Nice to meet you, Lancia-san," said Yamamoto. "How long have you known Tsuna?"

"I only met the Vongola Decimo today," said the tall man. "He saved me from a fate worse than death."

"Sounds like Tsuna," said the teen. "He does that a lot. So he's the Vongola Decimo in your mafia game. Did you ask him to play, because Tsuna doesn't like fighting games."

"It's not a game," said Lancia, taking more forceful steps in an obvious effort not to turn back towards the hospital. The arcobaleno wouldn't let the man take two steps in that direction. "And your _friend_ is very good at fighting."

"Yeah, Tsuna's amazing," said the teen, a beat off from cheerful or proud. "But that doesn't mean he likes it. Tsuna does it when he has to."

"Sounds like a good attribute for a boss," said the tall man.

"It makes him a great friend," said the teen. He sped up and passed the other three, hurrying towards a shop that advertised sushi. "Hey, Dad, we have visitors!"

"Come in then," said a voice from the shop, and the teen entered, leaving the other three to continue after him. Fuuta hesitated, wishing he could take a quick ranking on how high up the list this place was in the mafia hideout category, but Lancia and the arcobaleno were going in without hesitation, so Fuuta followed them, hoping that there wouldn't be more strange teens inside.


	21. Difficult Communications

Chapter 21: _Difficult Communications_

Tsuyoshi hated that grin on his son's face. That grin had stayed on Takeshi's face constantly during the months following Mako's death. Something had happened, something terrible, for that grin to return. The three that entered the sushi shop after Takeshi did nothing to ease Tsuyoshi's mind. The three were Italian (Tsuyoshi had dealt with enough of them to recognize an Italian when he saw one), and one had all the indications of being the infamous sun arcobaleno. According to Fon, the fedora wearing arcobaleno was the strongest of the seven, severely outmatching the rest. This infamous arcobaleno was also rumored to be training the future Vongola Decimo, so seeing him here meant that Vongola would be involved in whatever was plaguing Tsuyoshi's son.

"Welcome to Takesushi," said Tsuyoshi with his best disarming grin. "What can I do for you?"

"Where's Fon?" asked the arcobaleno. "My sources told me he is staying here."

"Fon? Oh, he's in the back with his student I-pin. They're waiting for his other student to finish school to start training," said Tsuyoshi as if it was normal for an infant to train a five year old and a school age student. Hopefully, the statement would seem to come from a dense and overly accepting middle aged man rather than a retired assassin. The arcobaleno gave Tsuyoshi a firm nod and headed towards the back. The other two Italians made to go after the arcobaleno, but the infamous hitman stopped them with a glance.

"Stay here. I will return shortly."

The two obeyed and sat at an empty table, so Tsuyoshi could conclude that they were in Vongola as well. Hopefully whatever the Vongola wanted from Fon would not take the martial artist outside of Japan. Tsuyoshi knew his friend had grown more attached to Tsuna than the martial artist had planned, and when the time came to leave the boy, Fon would suffer from the separation. And the martial artist would not be the only one. Tsuyoshi had been making inquiries and calling in favors to try to free Fon from the Triad's clutches, but once one is entangled with the mafia, untangling oneself from it is near impossible. Tsuyoshi had only managed thanks to Mako's death, but he had hoped a less desperate option would work for his friend.

"Speaking of students, where is Tsuna?" asked Tsuyoshi, pulling his mind toward more pleasant thoughts. "He's really late today. Did he get detention again?"

"Tsuna's in the hospital."

The sushi knife nearly slipped out of the Tsuyoshi's hands. That grin still painted Takeshi's face, but its reappearance was no longer a mystery.

"Did the ar—child looking for Fon put him there?" asked Tsuyoshi subtly changing his grip on the knife.

"No," said Takeshi. The cheerfulness oozing from the boy did not hide the pain in his tone from the sushi chef. Tsuyoshi knew his son too well. "Tsuna went to help Hibari fight some guys who were threatening the school. Hibari came by our class after school and told us that Tsuna ended up the hospital. Hibari's hurt too, but Tsuna's unconscious and the nurse said she didn't know when he'd wake up."

The knife was put to rest on the counter as its owner registered the implications of the explanation. Tsuna had gone to fight alone. The small brunette had told no one of the incoming danger, not even his sensei or best friend. Tsuyoshi was certain that if he called the boy's mother, she would say Tsuna was out somewhere with friends and have no clue that her son lay in an unknown condition at the hospital. A breeze blew past, and Tsuyoshi knew that the sun arcobaleno had broken the news to Fon.

"Master, wait!" yelled I-pin in Chinese. The breeze looped back and settled on the counter.

"I-pin, stay here," said Fon in Japanese. A less than calm look flickered in Tsuyoshi's friend's eyes. "The hospital does not allow children under a certain age to go up to the higher floors. It will be hard enough to explain my presence let alone yours. Keep watch over the sushi shop and Lambo while I am gone."

"Did someone call the great Lambo-sama?" asked the irritating voice. A head with short curls bounced behind I-pin. "Is 哥哥' here?"

"哥哥' hospital," the girl spluttered in Japanese, copying her master's language choice.

"What? Lambo's 哥哥' couldn't be in the hospital," said the five year old boy. After Takeshi and Tsuyoshi had found the little boy asleep in Tsuna's arms, Lambo had not grown attached to Tsuna. He had held onto the older boy as a lifeline. The five year old acted like a pompous brat whenever Tsuna was at school and would only calm down when Tsuna appeared and picked the boy up. Needless to say, this possessive attitude had started several arguments between Lambo and I-pin, who saw Tsuna's arms as her spot. Tsuna had had to break up several fights by declaring that he wouldn't pick either of them up if they kept going. The two children always acted like angels for hours after that threat. Tsuyoshi smiled. Tsuna would make a great father one day. But the smile dropped when Lambo grabbed his suit's tail like he did whenever he didn't know where Tsuna was. Tears welled up in the large green eyes. "He's coming here. He promised."

"Don't worry, Lambo. He'll be little late is all. Right, I-pin?" said Fon, the not fully calm tone further agitating the children. I-pin nodded, clenching her fists.

"哥哥' be okay!" said I-pin to a quivering Lambo. "哥哥' strong!"

"O-of course," said Lambo pumping the hand not holding his tail into a fist in the air. "Lambo-sama wouldn't let him be Lambo-sama's 哥哥' if he was weak!"

"Exactly," said Fon, the air around him less agitated than before. "Stay here, and Tsuna will return shortly."

"Yes," said I-pin.

"Lambo-sama was staying here anyway," said the little boy.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, perhaps we could go with you. I'll close the shop and those two can watch the children," said Tsuyoshi pointing to the two who the sun arcobaleno had brought in. Neither of the two protested, nor did Fon. The two Italians would do their jobs (one of them was child, but that only meant the older one had experience), if only to keep from earning an arcobaleno's wrath. The sushi chef turned towards his son. "You haven't been to see him yet, have you, Takeshi?"

"No, I wanted to tell you about Tsuna before the kid did."

Tsuyoshi froze. That form of address—

"Takeshi, the kid that you said was Tsuna's brother's tutor, is he the one that came here to talk to Fon?"

"Yep. I was wondering why he was hanging out with Tsuna instead of Tamaki, but he was at the hospital when we got there."

The sun arcobaleno, the one training the future Vongola Decimo, was Tsuna's brother's tutor. Then Tsuna's brother was…

"You might want to leave if you want to get there before the hospital finishes their visiting hours," said the sun arcobaleno popping up onto the counter next to the almost jittery storm arcobaleno. Fon gave a nod that encompassed both the sun arcobaleno and the sushi chef. Tsuyoshi put the knife down and wiped his hands on a clean towel. If he didn't move soon, Fon would leave without Tsuyoshi and his son. And Tsuyoshi couldn't blame the martial artist for his impatience.

* * *

><p>The picture that greeted Fon as he entered the specified room was nothing more than he expected. The Kurokawa girl sat glaring at Fon's student next to the small brunette's bed, and the Smokin' Bomb glared at those entering the room. Fon ignored both glares and hoped onto the bed next to Tsuna's head. The boy lay very still, in a way that could indicate death or recovery. According to the nurse, this case was the later, but Fon moved down and checked his student's pulse. The press of his tiny fingers on the thin wrist left marks against the reddish and pale skin. The pulse under the fingers murmured, but it was there. Dropping the hand and moving back up, Fon took a deep breath and felt the boy's forehead. No fever, so no risk of infection.<p>

"How long has he been like this?" asked the martial artist.

"Four hours according to the nurse," answered the girl, not removing her glare from the unconscious brunette. "She doesn't know how long he'd been like this before Hibari brought him in. Technically, he's in no immediate danger, but the doctors don't know what's wrong with him."

Fon nodded, and turned his gaze back at his student. Tsuyoshi came up next to Fon and placed two fingers on the martial artist shoulder.

"He will be fine," said the sushi chef. "As the children said, Tsuna is strong."

"Visiting hours are over. If you are not family, leave," said a nurse. The Smokin' Bomb glared at her, but she remained unfazed. "Do not make me call security. You should know that Hibari-san is in charge of keeping order in the hospital."

"He's the reason Tsuna-sama's in hospital," growled the bomber, pulling out several sticks of dynamites. "If he dares show his face..."

Fon half-expected the young swordsman to say something to calm the other boy down, but the martial artist was not truly surprised when nothing came from Tsuyoshi's son. The boy had not even entered the room. The young Yamamoto stood at the doorway, the cheerful grin wiped from his face. And if the black haired boy didn't release the door frame, the cement would crack.

"You heard her. Leave him to us," said Tsuyoshi turning a bright grin on the other two.

"You're family then? You don't look related," said the nurse, her eyes looking the man up and down in suspicion.

"He's my adopted son," said Tsuyoshi. He placed a hand on Fon's head. "This is his adoptive uncle."

"Uncle?" the nurse asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yep. He has a condition." said Tsuyoshi. His grin turned sharp. "You don't have anything against little people."

"No," said the nurse marking on a clipboard at the end of the bed. Fon could hear her muttering something about understanding why Hibari kept bugging her hourly if this kid attracted such weirdoes. "You can stay. The others have to leave."

"I don't see how blood relation matters if these two get to stay and we don't," said the girl.

"I don't make the rules, just enforce them. So please get out."

"Don't worry. We'll keep a good eye on him, won't we Takeshi?" said Tsuyoshi. He turned towards the nurse. "Takeshi is my blood son."

"Sorry, Dad, but I left something at school," said the younger Yamamoto as he took his hand off the door frame and scratched the back of his head. The grin had reappeared. "I'll go get it and then keep an eye on Lambo and I-pin. They can't stay with the kid's friends forever."

"No, they can't," said Tsuyoshi slowly. His eyes flickered to Tsuna's prone form before locking on his son's closed eyelids. The man's hand gripped into a fist, and Fon could sense the frustrated hesitation in the tension along the man's arm. Fon settled a hand on the tension, and the man's eyes locked with Fon's. Fon tilted his head slightly in the direction of the door, and the man gazed at Tsuna again. He grinned and looked back at his son. "I'll return with you then. You'll need extra pair of hands to keep those children occupied."

"Stay, Dad. I'll just play baseball with them. It'll be fun!" said the boy.

"I believe I remember you telling Tsuna you would not teach the children baseball after the hole that appeared in my wall," said Tsuyoshi. Fon took his hand off the man's arm. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to teach them how to cook sushi yet."

Before Fon could remind Tsuyoshi that the sushi chef had specifically promised not to teach I-pin anything that involved sharp objects, the young swordsman sent his father a look that silenced all thought. The grin had disappeared again, and the hazel eyes trembled despite the obvious attempt to remain firm. Like a raging rain where the raindrops scattered and fell in every direction.

"Stay, Dad," said the boy. The plea sounded loudly in the silenced air. The boy clenched his jaw, and his eyes wrenched closed. He turned away and all but ran from the room. Tsuyoshi took a step after his son, but he stopped. The girl spun and grabbed the hospital bed's railing.

"Do you see what you've done?" she demanded. "And it's not only him. Kyoko was so worried that she dropped the tea cake she must have spent all day making for you. I had to send her home for fear of her reaction to whatever you might look like here. I told her I'd take care of it and give you a piece of my mind for going—no, running off without a word. I told you that your fights with Hibari had better not land you in the hospital. You'd better be awake when I come tomorrow."

She strode away from the bed but stopped to glare at the Smokin' Bomb.

"I'm leaving," she said. "We'll meet in the lobby at 8."

The Smokin' Bomb huffed but didn't disagree. After the girl left, the nurse cleared her throat.

"You too."

The bomber glared at her, but she merely stared back and tapped on her clipboard. He clicked his tongue and headed to the door.

"You'd better take care of Tsuna-sama," the boy growled without looking back. The nurse exited the room right after the bomber. She left instructions to call her when the unconscious brunette woke.

"You should go after him," said the martial artist.

"Takeshi has his mother's stubborn streak," said Tsuyoshi, a fond smile almost covering his worry. "He doesn't want me with him. He wants to know that Tsuna's alright first."

"I apologize for my student's stupidity," said Fon. "I should have been more firm in regards to training his understanding."

"He should have been taught better," the man said. "But his ignorance is not your fault."

"I am his teacher."

"You're his teacher, not his parent," said the man in a tone that had once meant a well-deserved death. "But I suppose someone will have to be."

"Or perhaps he needs another tutor," said a familiar voice. A dark smirk decorated the face under the orange striped fedora, and for the first time, Fon wished he could erase it. As all the arcobaleno knew better than anyone, no one could stand against Reborn. But then, Fon had never had a reason to use his skills against the hitman. Fon took a deep breath and placed himself between Reborn and his student.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is my student," said Fon. "And he will not be yours."

* * *

><p>The sound of crashes and bullets whizzing through the air woke Tsuna, but he refused to open his eyes. Last time he had opened his eyes to similar sounds (the bullets at least) Reborn had been pointing Leon in gun form to the brunette's head. Tsuna's whole body ached, and he really didn't want to deal with that. But the sounds got louder and louder, and Tsuna could feel someone press against his bed. He couldn't keep ignoring them. Then the sounds stopped. Braving a peek, Tsuna saw a tall dark form blocking his view. Opening his eyes further, the small brunette noticed that he was not in his room. Tsuna vaguely remembered fear and dirty walls before he had fallen unconscious. But these walls were clean, and they felt safe. A chuckle filled the silence, and Tsuna changed his opinion about the "safe" aspect of the room.<p>

"You gave me quite a bit of trouble to subdue you. I had to use the pacifiers at full blast to keep you from continuing this childish squabble," said a voice Tsuna didn't recognize. A flash of grey appeared beside the dark figure beside Tsuna's bed. Before Tsuna or the figure could react, a man in a white and black checkered mask picked Tsuna up and moved out of the dark figure's reach. Tsuna loosely recognized that the dark figure was Yamamoto-san when his body realized it was hanging by the collar of a hospital gown.

"HIIE!" screeched Tsuna. He clawed at the gown's neckline to keep from choking on it.

"Maybe I should treat you like children," said the stranger, holding the struggling Tsuna up higher. A prone Fon and Reborn lay in the middle of broken hospital equipment. Tsuna forced himself to clamp down on the panic and measure his breath like Fon had taught. The unknown man jiggled him again. "I'll take away the thing you are fighting over, and there, no more danger to the pacifiers. You could have broken them in that brawl."

The heat beat under Tsuna's skin and focused in his hands, allowing the boy to grip the material firmly enough to not choke and gently enough to not rip the material. The strange man jerked the small brunette, and Tsuna let out a muffled squeak.

"He's quite the specimen," said the strange man. The odd checkered mask seemed melded into his face, and his hat had a thick metal rim. The trench coat and checkered gloves added to the eeriness of the odd ensemble. Warning bells were going off all over Tsuna's body as the heat tried to engulf him from head to toe, but it cooled before the concentration could get high enough. "I have a few things I could use sky flames on and…oh my, you are a rare combo. I can see why my two arcobaleno were fighting over you."

"Let him go," growled a voice. Reborn stood, his movements erratic and tense.

"Leave Tsuna be," said Fon. The jerkiness in Tsuna's master's normally graceful limbs caused another wave of panic that Tsuna had to subdue.

"I don't know. Will you to be good boys and share? Or do I have to take this interesting specimen away for you to stop fighting?" asked the strange man.

"You will be taking him nowhere," said Fon as he stepped awkwardly into an attack stance Tsuna had not seen before.

"He's not a specimen," said Reborn. He stood casually, as if his current upright position hadn't given him trouble to achieve. "Dame-Tsuna will be the Vongola Decimo."

The strange man gave a grunt and dropped Tsuna. The small brunette fell flat on his backside and had to bite back a yelp. Tsuna had embarrassed himself enough today. Something scrambled into his hair and hid there.

"You've given that thing its shots I hope," the strange man said with an amused grin as he shook his hand.

"He couldn't help it. He's attached to Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, and Tsuna realized what or rather who was on the small brunette's head. Tsuna ran his fingers through his hair until he felt the flickering tongue. He then patted Leon's head.

"And Leon's not the only one," said Fon, and the man yelped. He threw a white blur, and Tsuna caught the flying white monkey before Lichi slammed into what once might have been machine that measured blood pressure. The monkey squeaked his thanks and clambered onto Tsuna's shoulder.

"They should do something about the pest control in this hospital," said the strange man holding the second injured hand with his first. He flashed the group a nasty smile. "My job's done, but if you start to fight over him again, then he's mine."

And with that, the strange man disappeared. Tsuna gazed at the spot where the strange man had been. He hadn't felt like the man was there.

"Are you alright?" asked Fon as he moved closer to the fallen brunette and looked the boy over.

"U-um, y-yes," said Tsuna, questions tumbling through his head a mile a minute. Who had that been? And where was he? And why was Fon here? His feet abruptly hung in the air as he fell backwards into large arms.

"Better get you back to bed," said Yamamoto-san. He picked Tsuna up.

"I-I c-can—"

"Sorry. The nurse said you were not to move until she arrived," said Yamamoto-san, cradling Tsuna in his arms. Tsuna hid behind his hair. He didn't remember when he had last been picked up and carried. Tamaki had occupied both their parents' arms in all of Tsuna's memories. As the man placed Tsuna gently on the bed, Tsuna felt a stab of envy towards his friend. Those strong but gentle arms must have held Takeshi whenever the baseball player had needed them. The rough hand ruffled Tsuna's hair and pulled back the brunette bangs to force the hidden brown eyes to meet dark hazel. "You had us very worried."

"I-I'm s-sorry," said Tsuna, trying to look away from the man's disappointment, but he couldn't.

"Why didn't you tell us where you were going?" The man's tone indicated that Tsuna had no choice but to answer.

"I-I—" A bullet grazed Tsuna's cheek. "Hiie! Reborn, what did I do?"

"You were stuttering," said the demon. Tsuna wanted to shrink back, but the hand on his forehead held the teen in place. And those eyes did not move from his.

"I...Hibari doesn't like crowds," Tsuna whispered. "A-a—and I didn't…he couldn't go alone."

The dark hazel eyes held, and Tsuna began to squirm.

"That is not the answer," said Yamamoto-san gently. Tsuna finally looked away from those eyes and at the bed. He fiddled with the sheets.

"I wasn't expecting to fight," Tsuna continued. "B-b—but I felt—knew that Hibari would need help. And anything that could hurt Hibari would…"

Tsuna clenched the sheets and closed his eyes. The hand left his forehead, and Tsuna reopened his eyes in surprise.

"You're a good boy, Tsuna," said Yamamoto-san, ruffling Tsuna's hair again. Tsuna watched as the man headed for the door. Yamamoto-san threw a look at Fon. "I leave him in your care."

Tsuna did not see the man's exit due to the pain erupting in the back of his head and the corresponding darkness in his vision.

* * *

><p>"He's injured," said Fon as Reborn propped the once again unconscious brunette against the pillows. The hitman ignored the slight killing intent coming from the martial artist and put a hand on the former weakling's forehead. The sun flames shone on the near second degree burn that would not have been there if Reborn had been given the proper assignment. The boy's body hadn't built the necessary resistance to use his dying will flames to their full potential without these unnecessary side effects. Even the slight use had burned his body to an unacceptable extent. The pure yellow flames then pulsed downward vanishing the ugly red burns and darkening the paleness back to its proper color. Work done, Reborn retracted his hand. The martial artist's face had gone from unusually hard to a more normal curious expression.<p>

"He has to become Vongola Decimo," said Reborn.

"What about his brother?" asked Fon, the curious calmness irritating Reborn. But the hitman could not detect any malice in the question.

"Sawada Tamaki does not meet the requirements to be the Vongola Decimo," said the hitman, putting his hand on his hat. Leon who had returned to the chameleon's normal perch on the hitman's fedora took the opportunity to scramble tiredly onto the hitman's hand.

"He was chosen, and you have your orders," said Fon. The chameleon shaped itself into the familiar pistol, and the weight was comforting in the hitman's hand. Reborn pushed his fedora with the pistol's muzzle.

"Those orders were given due to false information."

"And whose false information was it?" asked the martial artist.

"Sawada Iemitsu," said the hitman, and the martial artist tensed again, a hardness entering the customarily gentle eyes.

"A truly unreliable man," said Fon. The storm arcobaleno closed his eyes and breathed. "Or so I have come to conclude from a more reliable source."

"He talks about him?" asked the hitman, curious. The brat did, alternating between admiring and denouncing the man as dead. But from what the hitman had observed, Dame-Tsuna never spoke of Vongola's outside advisor.

"Not in words," said Fon. "But then to hear Tsuna you need to listen to more than words."

The hitman nodded. The former weakling had trouble with words. A few months back, he had not had use for words outside of basic communication. In the first few days of the brat's training, Reborn had noticed that the then weakling could go for hours without saying a word. Not because the boy had any desire to be silent or any taciturn disposition, but because no one listened to the boy.

Strangers were put off by the boy's nervous stutter. His classmates thought of him as Dame-Tsuna. His brother would cover the smaller brunette's sentences with the brat's own. The twins' mother would be too busy taking care and handling her youngest to have time to listen to her eldest. So Dame-Tsuna had lived in a world where his best bet to communicate was body language. Flinches and a constant shrinking in on himself to make the bullies leave him alone, satisfied with his submission. Weak smiles and hums to communicate with his mother. Nods, smiles, and constant making room for his younger brother to keep the brat happy. He lived in a near wordless world, where words were a last and unlikely resort for communication.

And then he was thrown into a world where his words were important. Where people suddenly wanted to hear him. And he adjusted, his stutter disappearing around those he learned to trust. He spoke what he thought necessary to help his new friends. But he was not comfortable with words. And he would not ask for help, because no one had ever heard that message no matter what mode of communication he used.

"You were right," said Fon, breaking Reborn's concentration and the hitman's gaze which had fixed unconsciously on the slumbering boy. "He needs a firmer hand in some areas. But he needs a gentle hand as well. He is astonishingly fragile for his strength."

"I thought he would not be my student," said Reborn with a smirk, as Leon in chameleon from crawled back onto the hitman's hat.

"He won't," said Fon. "He will be our student."

"Our student?" asked Reborn, allowing the true question to become evident in his tone.

"I was troubled by your appearance and your hand in Tsuna's current circumstances," said the martial artist, hearing the unasked question. "I know your methods, and I considered them to be too harsh for a brittle sky. But he is not as brittle as he sometimes appears, and your methods are not as harsh as I like to think they are. Besides, I can hardly fault a sun for being attracted to a bright sky when it was forced to watch over a darkened one. And I doubt I could release you from his pull."

The smirk was gone, but Reborn did not scowl outwardly. He could not deny the martial artist's words.

"However," Fon continued, "he will not be Vongola Decimo."

Reborn considered remarking that he would not train the small brunette to be anything else, but by the amusement in the gentler black eyes, the hitman knew that such a remark would be more embarrassing that convincing.

"He has already declared himself to be the Vongola Decimo to the Vindice," said the hitman. The martial artist tensed and flickered his less amused eyes at the sleeping brunette.

"Did it have something to do with the two you brought with you to Takesushi?"

The hitman nodded, both in affirmation and in respect for the martial artist's understanding of his student.

"He made a deal to keep custody of Lancia."

"The one who is said to be the strongest man in Italy," said Fon, another surprised glance at the sleeping brunette.

"Lancia stayed by Dame-Tsuna's bed for four hours," said Reborn. Not many had the pleasure of seeing the calm martial artist's astonishment.

"Our student is surprising."

Reborn nodded. The hitman expected nothing less from the true Vongola heir and Reborn's first self-chosen student.


	22. The Unwell and the Worried

Chapter 22: _The Unwell and the Worried_

The lights were on in classroom 1-B. No one should be in the building at this time. Silencing his steps, Hibari headed to the lit door. His tonfas fell into his hands, and he slipped silently into the room and looked for the source of the disturbance.

"I had heard from some of the guys that it was dangerous to stay at school after 7 because a ghost haunts the school at night," said a grinning Yamamoto Takeshi. The lone herbivore was leaning on the farthest wall. "But everyone knows that no ghost would bother our school with you here, Hibari."

"What are you doing here?" said the prefect. He kept his tonfa at his sides and refused to ask the lone herbivore why Yamamoto Takeshi was here and not the hospital. The lone herbivore pushed away from the wall and the shadow that had masked his form, and a blade flashed in a downward slash.

"Fight me," said the no longer grinning herbivore. Hibari scowled. Those words should not be coming out of the carefree herbivore. Yamamoto Takeshi was trying to pose as a carnivore, but the baseball player looked more like a cornered herbivore.

"Leave. I'm not interested in fighting confused herbivores."

The blade flashed close to the prefect's face. Hibari ducked and swung the tonfa upward to slam into Yamamoto Takeshi's chest. The confused herbivore moved enough to avoid damage to his ribs, but he couldn't completely dodge the blow. The unconscious herbivore would have slid back, and the metal would have continued its arc through the air. The confused herbivore swung his sword upward, and Hibari shifted to the right to avoid it. The tonfa met the confused herbivore's head, and the baseball player landed back in the darkened corner of the room. The prefect glared at the corner. The unconscious herbivore would have never been hit by such a slow attack.

A grunt, bump, and whiz came from the corner, and then the sword nearly touched Hibari's wrist, but the prefect had fought much faster speeds. The sword flew over the prefect's hand, and the prefect ran to where the now unarmed herbivore stood. Hibari would bite the confused herbivore to death for making the prefect fight such a boring battle. The baseball player would wake in the hospital next to the unconscious herbivore where Yamamoto Takeshi belonged. He swung a tonfa at the confused herbivore's head.

A hand prevented the metal from meeting the tonfa's target. A snap came from the wrist, but hazel glittered sharply from under the arm. Hibari let the tonfa fall back to his side. The prefect went to the front of the room and kicked the sword back at the lone herbivore. The swordsman picked the sword up in his uninjured had. Hibari raised his tonfas as the swordsman raised his sword. Metal met metal, and Hibari pushed the swordsman against the wall.

"You're not ready to fight me," said Hibari, using enough force to hold the lone herbivore in place. The prefect knocked the sword out of the swordsman's hand with his second tonfa. He released the lone herbivore, and the baseball player sank to the ground. "Come back when you are."

* * *

><p>Quietly, Takeshi unlocked the door and opened it slightly. No light shone through the crack, and the baseball player relaxed a little. He slipped in, and the lights came on.<p>

"I thought you understood that you shouldn't leave the children alone for so long with strangers," said the shadowed face of Takeshi's old man.

"I had to go back to school," said Takeshi, hitting Shigure Kintoki against his shoulder. His father probably already knew what had been left at school. Takeshi's father walked from where he stood across the room and grabbed the teen's right wrist. Takeshi flinched.

"Looking for something does not cause wounds like this," said the older swordsman tightening his grip. A hiss escaped Takeshi's lips, and the older swordsman released his grip. "Where were you?"

"At school," said Takeshi, tucking his injured hand into his pocket. He grinned and closed his eyes. "I needed to practice."

"You challenged the boy that lead Tsuna into danger."

The Shigure Kintoki stopped its movement and rested on Takeshi's shoulder.

"And he defeated you."

Takeshi winced and let his eyes fall.

"Tsuna's awake."

The older Yamamoto's words made Takeshi look back up at his old man who had taken a seat on the third counter stool. Dark hazel eyes stayed on Takeshi, and Takeshi shuffled and finally moved and sat down. His dad gave Takeshi a smile that was once reserved solely for the baseball player, though Takeshi had started to see that smile directed occasionally at a certain small brunette. Not that Takeshi minded in the least. He liked that his old man had become so fond of Tsuna. Takeshi gazed blankly at the counter, trying to push back the image that popped up along with that name. His father's smile fell into frown.

"What is the matter, Takeshi?"

Takeshi faced the empty corner stool and then closed his eyes. He could almost see his mother's normally serious face drawn in worry and concern, urging him to answer his father and tell them what's wrong. He didn't want to tell them. A hand laid on the teen's shoulder and positioned him to look straight into his father's firm face. Takeshi couldn't escape his father's inquiries, he knew that. But…

"There are many people I can blame for Tsuna's decision," said his father, his voice low and serious. "You are not one of them."

Takeshi backed away, nearly falling off his stool in an effort to get away from that hand's clutch. His father said that so easily, so simply. Tsuna was in the hospital, laying still and pale in a way that even Takeshi's mother hadn't, but it wasn't supposed to be Takeshi's fault. Not Takeshi's fault that he didn't see through his friend's excuse for going home instead of to Takesushi as usual. That he had missed the exchange between Tsuna and Hibari because he was off talking to Sasagawa-sempai and then the baseball captain. Takeshi had not seen through his friend's lies because all the baseball player's thoughts had been cheerfully focused on becoming the baseball club's vice-captain the next school term. Baseball had occupied his whole attention, leaving Takeshi none for his friend, the one he had considered as a brother, for Tsuna who had saved Takeshi when baseball had failed him. Tsuna could have disappeared, and Takeshi would not have noticed until it was too late.

Strong arms helped a limp Takeshi back into the proper position on the stool, and Takeshi sagged onto the counter and dropped his head in his hands.

"Get up," said a firm voice that had Takeshi tensing to rise before the baseball player consciously decided to sit straight. "My son would not let guilt defeat him. If he felt he had done something wrong, he would go back and do it right."

Takeshi's gaze met his father's dark hazel, and Takeshi sat straighter as his mind swirled. Go back and do it right? The thought bounced in his head, and Takeshi suddenly realized that he was being stupid again. His dad was right. Takeshi had to go back and do it right this time.

"Dad, can you up my training?"

"Not while you're still in school," said his father, the smile returning to his face.

"What if I quit baseball? Would you teach me more then?"

His father's eyes narrowed, but Takeshi did not break the gaze.

"If that's what you want Takeshi," said his father, the smile becoming a bitter sweet grin, "then I will teach you what I have learned with the Shigure Soen Ryu."

* * *

><p>Tsuna stood at the gate, staring at his house's door. He gripped the shoulder strap of his bag.<p>

"It has been too long since your mother came to visit us," said Fon. "I have been meaning to visit her."

"I-pin's probably worried," said Tsuna. He tried to smile but stopped as his sensei's black eyes darkened. "Tell her and Lambo I'll be by after school."

"You should rest for today," said Fon. Tsuna shook his head. His mother would be curious at his early morning entrance, and he didn't want to worry her more.

"Hurry up, Dame-Tsuna. I don't want to miss _Mamma's_ breakfast," said Reborn from his seat on Tsuna's head. The hitman had claimed the spot the moment Tsuna had been discharged from the hospital. Tsuna had not protested because he had a feeling that the hitman had something to do with the disappearance of Tsuna's injuries. Well, that and the hitman would no doubt create new ones if he felt the slightest need. Tsuna had no idea why the hitman would have healed the small brunette, but Tsuna knew he had done it. He knew the same way he knew that something was wrong. Something somewhere (his house) was very wrong.

"I will tell them," said Fon. He gave Tsuna a gentle smile that Tsuna tried to return. The attempt once again failed as Tsuna caught sight of the sleeping figure on his sensei's head. He reached out and stroked the slumbering monkey. Both Lichi and Leon had gone into a near comatose state after biting the strange man who had nearly strangled Tsuna. A sharp pain distracted Tsuna from his growing worry.

"I'm hungry," Reborn whined in an almost babyish voice. The sound caused Tsuna to suppress his shivers. He had not doubt that the hitman would not appreciate Tsuna's mental comparison. "If I miss _Mamma's_ breakfast, then you'll have to make me food."

Tsuna's body went from almost shaking to stiff as a board. The idea of making Reborn food sunk like poisoned lead in Tsuna's stomach. If Reborn didn't like what Tsuna made, Tsuna would no doubt face some torturous penalty. And if Reborn liked it…

"I will see you at afternoon training, Fon-sensei," said Tsuna, executing a quick bow and hurrying to enter the house all hesitation gone. In his panic, Tsuna missed the martial artist's small nod and the hitman's answering smirk.

"Tsu-chan?" said Nana, poking her head out of the kitchen and smiling as she noticed her eldest. Tsuna smiled back in relief. She wasn't finished with breakfast. "I didn't know that you were coming home so soon. Did you enjoy your hike?"

"Y-yeah," said Tsuna, trying to remember what cover story the hitman had concocted for Tsuna's stay at the hospital. The hitman himself gave no clue as to what the story was as he hopped off Tsuna's head and onto the floor. Coming up blank (why hadn't he use one of Hana's memory techniques?), Tsuna decided to try another subject. "Did you give Takeshi and Gokudera the bentos?"

"They didn't tell you? They were surprised that you went to help a friend, but Takeshi-kun took his and Gokudera-kun insisted on taking his and Hana-chan's. He said that he would make sure that she ate every bite."

Tsuna's smile grew wider at the memory of his friends. The two came every morning to pick him up. Tsuna was so fortunate to have such dedicated friends, and to hear that they hadn't been overly worried about him was another welcome relief. The two had no idea where Tsuna had gone.

"Thank you," said Tsuna, his smile blissful.

"Oh, Tsu-chan," said Nana, exiting the kitchen and wrapping her arms around Tsuna. "Mama missed you so much."

"R-really?" Tsuna stammered. She squeezed him tighter, and her head bounced on his in a nod as she hummed yes. Hesitantly and carefully, he put his suddenly shaking arms around his mother. Once they were around her, Tsuna's arms didn't want to let her go. How could he have ever felt jealous of his friend when such arms would always hold him tight, whether they needed him or not? Yes, Tamaki did occupy them more, but they needed the younger twin who also needed them so perfectly. Tsuna had to be stronger, had to hold his mother more than she held him, had to comfort her when pictures and memories did not make her smile. Tsuna had to be the replacement, and Tamaki had to be the son. But a replacement was only temporary, waiting for the moment it is no longer useful. A son would always be needed. Tsuna wanted to be the son, just this once. But that was not his place, couldn't be. He squeezed tightly and let go, pulling his mother's hands to his side. "Can I help finish breakfast?"

"Of course," said Nana. "The kitchen's so lonely without Tsu-kun."

Nana dragged Tsuna to the kitchen, and Tsuna let her. _He_ was exclusively in the kitchen when he was here. Tsuna's eyes widened when the small brunette saw that the food was still at its preparatory stage. His mother was usually half done if not plating by this point.

"Tsu-kun can help me with the okayu," said his mother, handing Tsuna some washed rice in a pot. Tsuna put it on the stove and grabbed the salt and measuring cup. "Tamaki isn't feeling well this morning. He seems to have caught a very bad cold."

Tsuna nodded his understanding and poured the proper amount of water into the pot. He blinked as he realized that he had put the pot and rice on the stove first. And his mother had given him the rice in the pot instead of an empty pot to fill with water and then the washed rice.

"Tamaki-san…has a fever?" asked Tsuna. Nana missed a beat in her preparation, but she set the pan on the other stove burner.

"He was very hot last night," said Nana, wiping her hands harshly on her apron. "But he felt cooler this morning."

Tsuna lowered the temperature and chanced a glance out the door and up the stairs. He noticed Reborn lounging at the chair at the head of the table where _he_ usually sat. Putting the proper amount of salt, Tsuna left his mother humming as she mixed the water and dashi together in the saucepan. Quietly, he flew up the stairs, his feet barely touching the steps. He stood before his brother's door and gently took the handle. His younger twin lay feverishly turning in the damp sheets, that horrible rasping and rubbing sound accompanying every inward breath. After checking that the younger boy had his eyes closed, Tsuna pushed the door fully open and put his hand on the sweating figure. Tsuna kept it there, feeling an unwanted heat burn his skin. He took the hand back when the horrible heat had cooled. Tsuna bent down to pick up a fallen towel and headed to the bathroom. Maybe he wouldn't go to school today.

* * *

><p>If the stupid wench glared harder at the seat it would combust. Gokudera had the temptation to do it for her, since it stood there mockingly empty. The bomber had returned to the hospital the second the clock turned 8. He would have been there earlier, but the daft nurse had found him lurking around the hospital and threatened to ban Gokudera if the bomber hadn't gone home and come to the hospital at 8 at the earliest. But when he had, the wench had already arrived and been informed that the hospital had released Tsuna-sama earlier this morning. The wench had insisted that they should wait for the small brunette to come to school and see if he would redeem himself by telling them what happened on his own. As if Tsuna-sama would ever need to redeem himself to anyone, especially the stupid wench. Gokudera would have gone to meet Tsuna-sama at his house, but the bomber didn't want to have to put up with another of the wench's lectures. The tightening dread, the desire to put off seeing the small brunette, had nothing to do with his decision. He didn't need to worry about confirming that stupid suspicion in the back of his head. Tsuna-sama would welcome Gokudera's presence, and the bomber would prove himself loyal enough to trust in time.<p>

"Are you guys waiting for Tsuna?" asked the baseball idiot as he took his normal place in front of the desk.

"He was released from the hospital this morning," said the wench breaking the glare and taking a deep breath to relax her facial muscles. "If he has any brains left, he won't come to school today."

"You're right. Tsuna should rest," said the baseball idiot, the bamboo sword he loved so much resting on his shoulder, "but Tsuna's too stubborn for that."

Gokudera glared at the baseball-brained idiot. The baseball idiot had not been at the hospital but those ten minutes where he had stood at the door staring in like a moron. And instead of taking the opportunity to stay with Tsuna-sama, the baseball idiot had run out of the room like a coward. The baseball idiot should have stayed and faced his failure. To face that too pale face on those wretched white sheets. To face the fact that Tsuna-sama had gone without telling him anything…

"Tsuna will not be happy to see you to like that," said the wench flatly with a look that might have been a glare if not for the exhaustion sagging the dark brown eyes. "Did you challenge our prefect?"

"Che. Only an idiot would go after that man," said Gokudera, shifting to hide the bandages on his arms. The prefect had eluded the bomber's late night searches, so Gokudera had gone to his regular spot to experiment with his explosives. So far, the mini bombs did not work well straight out of the boxes, but the gel had good flame retention and ignition time. And the triple bomb worked better with a mix of both mini bombs and regular ones. The timer he had gotten in response to a letter from Shoichi had worked wonders—

"I fought him last night," said the baseball idiot. The statement made Gokudera's hands automatically reach to grab the baseball idiot's collar, but he stopped. He didn't care what the baseball idiot did, and it only made sense that idiots got the best luck.

"And how did that go?" asked Hana.

"He beat me," said the baseball idiot, scratching the back of his head in that infuriating way and with an equally irritating grin on his face. The bomber gave the baseball idiot a more extensive examination. The baseball idiot had his wrist wrapped, and he stood a bit less slouched than before, indicating that his back was also injured. There were more bandages covering the baseball idiot's arms than the bomber's. Clicking his tongue, the bomber considered what to do with the information. He could hardly let Tsuna-sama come in and see the baseball idiot in such a state.

"Go see the school nurse," said Gokudera.

"My dad took care of the injuries this morning," said the baseball idiot, the grin becoming a little less irritating. "I'll be fine."

"You'll upset Tsuna-sama if you stay like that," said Gokudera.

"You're agreeing with Hana again. Something bad must be about to happen."

"I didn't agree with the wench. And don't say things like that so carelessly, baseball freak!" said Gokudera as all three gazes flickered momentarily to the empty desk. The door slid open, the sound quieting the stupid morning chatter. Or rather the now familiar murderous aura filling the room silenced the rest of the idiots in the class. That man strode towards them.

"Where does Sawada Tsunayoshi reside?"

"If you're patient, you can ask him yourself," said the wench, unaffected by that man's intense glare. "He was dis—"

"The herbivore never comes to school later than 7:15. Also, the false carnivore isn't here."

"Tamaki didn't come to school?" asked the baseball idiot. That man said nothing, which most likely meant that the baseball idiot's interpretation was correct. The bamboo sword shifted to the baseball idiot's hip in the way that it had when the baseball idiot had fought Tsuna-sama, and the idiot's grin stretched too wide. "Guess we should check up on them then."

* * *

><p>Nana smiled at the three teens on the porch.<p>

"Are you here to check that Tsu-kun got here safe from your hike?" asked the woman. Her eldest's female friend stepped forward.

"We're here to see why Tsuna didn't come to school," said Hana-chan.

"Oh, well, he's a bit busy at the moment," said Nana, her smile straining. "Tamaki is sick."

"The mo—Tamaki's sick so Tsuna had to stay home," said the girl, her dark brown eyes darker and making Nana narrow her own slightly before closing them.

"Tsu-kun's such a good nurse for Tamaki. I'm sorry, but I can't let you in. Tamaki has a fever, and I wouldn't want to let any of you to get sick."

"We'll take the risk," said the girl, moving to enter the door. Nana blocked the girl's way. She could tell by the teens' faces that if she let them in, both her boys (or at least her eldest) would be hurt. Takeshi-kun went nowhere Tsuna without a happy grin (this one was too wide), and Gokudera-kun never looked that upset at coming to visit Tsu-kun anymore. And Hana-chan had on the face Nana's own mother wore before the half-Italian woman would chew her husband out.

"I can't let you come in. Maybe if your parents were to give you permission—"

"My parents would understand, and I have to talk to your older and less stupid son about his continual lapses into what must be hereditary stupidity."

Nana grabbed the girl's shoulder and caused the girl to take a step back. Nana stepped outside the door and closed it behind her.

"You can't come in right now," said Nana in cheerful tone. She didn't want to be mean to Tsuna's friends the first time they came over, but she couldn't let them in. And the girl's words sounded too much like the famous Taru Sakura's. Nana's mother could use her words as effectively a swordsman used his sword.

"Are you keeping Tsuna home because his idiot brother is sick?" said the girl bluntly, completely unlike Nana's mother. Nana's smile became less strained.

"Tsuna's staying home because he wants to help Tamaki get better. Tamaki gets better twice as fast when Tsuna's with him."

"So you are forcing Tsuna to stay so that he will play nurse for your stupid brat," said the girl. The smile completely disappeared.

"I didn't tell Tsu-kun to—"

"You're his mother. If you so much as ask him or imply that you need him, he will stay. And even though he just came home from the hospital, he'll still play the nurse to his monkey of a brother because you asked him to."

"Tsu-kun was in the hospital?" asked Nana, thinking back to her son's ragged appearance coming in the door. He had looked so much like his father that for a moment that Nana had forgotten who she was greeting at the door. But then he had smiled that beautiful smile and stuttered, and Nana had been relieved to remember who truly stood in the hallway. She had never thought that her Tsu-kun had been in the hospital. "Did he get hurt on his hike?"

"No," the girl said bluntly, and Nana could suddenly see the hurt and anger that lay in those normally cool, calm eyes. "We didn't go on a hike."

"But Reborn-chan said—"

"The baby lied to you. Your son, who can't lie without stuttering and making it obvious, probably went along with the lie to cover up the fact that he went to fight people that posed a threat to the strongest person in our school and probably all Namimori without telling anyone where he was going. And you believe that lie without giving it a second thought. And why? Because you're more worried about the moronic monkey king getting a fever!"

Nana bit her lip and leaned against the door. She wished the door would suddenly disappear and that she would fall into her husband's waiting arms, like he had done when they had first been married. But he was an adventurer, and she did not want to be a wife who forced her husband to remain by her side. When he was home, he loved her so much for being the kind of wife that let him ride into the sunset and wait for his return. The wife who rarely called to tell him anything or to remind him that their youngest son had spent another week in bed with fever and aches that the doctors could not diagnose properly.

Iemitsu would laugh and say that kids got sick sometimes, and Tamaki was too strong to let a mere fever do anything past keep the boy in bed for a few days. Tsuna could keep Tamaki company for the short time the younger twin was sick. Iemitsu did not need to fly to Japan because Tamaki had gotten an unknown fever the third time this year. The boy had bounced back from the last one. The last fever had been months ago, and Tamaki hadn't suffered in between that time so Nana was worried over nothing. She was only imagining that her worry was like the time her parents were killed in that plane crash, and she hadn't really known her sister was getting married to a scumbag who would cut all relations between the two sisters and eventually make the elder sister take her own life. She had eaten the wrong thing before bed when she had stayed up the whole night because she thought that Iemitsu was in critical care in the hospital. He had been fine. This fever was like none of those times, and Tsuna was just mirroring her own worry. She wouldn't lose her youngest son to something as an occasional fever. And yesterday, she had only thought she knew that Tsu-kun had been in danger.

A hand on her shoulder anchored her spinning thoughts. Steady hazel eyes smiled compassionately at her.

"Tsuna didn't tell us either," said Takeshi-kun. "But if we tell him not to do it again, Tsuna might listen to us."

Nana found herself nodding, relaxing under the smiling teen's calm gaze. It reminded her so much of Tsu-kun's when the smaller brunette found her looking at old photographs, but her Tsu-kun's gaze had a warmth that couldn't be replaced. The door opened, and Nana nearly lost her balance. Small (but they were bigger now, weren't they?) hands pushed her back up and steadied her.

"Are you okay?" asked her Tsu-kun, his brown eyes focusing almost completely on her in his worry.

"Tsu-kun, your friends are here," she said, not wanting to lie to her son. She would never be fine with so much wrong. The warm brown eyes finally turned to his friends, but they immediately changed from warm to dull.

"I'm sorry," said the small brunette, his hair blocking the dullness. "But Tamaki needs me."

In one quick movement, Tsu-kun pulled Nana inside onto the wooden step that separated the entrance area from the hall and closed the door. Or tried. A stick kept the door from fully closing. Tsu-kun let the door open again, but he pushed his mother behind him. The stick slid upwards after opening the door wide and fell on Takeshi-kun's shoulder. The tall teen's face was blank in a way that Nana could never have imagined it being. Tsu-kun's shoulder jerked, and the small brunette's back straightened. But the line of Nana's eldest's shoulder trembled almost unnoticeably.

"Tsuna," said Takeshi-kun softly, and Nana's eldest leaned back as if he wanted to step back but didn't want to step on her. Nana wanted to pull her boy back and away from the other. She knew Takeshi was a good boy. Takeshi was Tsuyoshi's son, and he had been very good to Tsuna. But Nana understood how painful it was to have someone you love angry with you. But she couldn't. Takeshi's blank face crumpled briefly in a pain before twisting into a poor attempt at a smile before trying again. "Tsuna, we were worried about you."

"I'm fine," said Tsuna quietly. Nana almost forgot how quiet her eldest's voice could get when he was scared. "I'll…I'll be back to school soon. Please wait until then. Please. Tamaki needs me."

"But Tsuna—"

"Please," said Tsu-kun, the trembling of his shoulders intensifying for an instant before going back to near unnoticeable. Takeshi's attempt of a smile dropped and left a face stricken with painful understanding. The tall brunette carefully put the stick to lean on the wall, stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Nana's small (not so small anymore) son.

"We won't leave," Takeshi-kun whispered so low that Nana could barely hear him. "We won't ever leave you."

Tsuna stood stiff in the taller teen's arms, and Nana could almost imagine her son's wide brown eyes three times their size. He didn't relax, didn't move. But neither did Takeshi-kun. Or anyone else, including Nana. Then, Tsuna's hands twitched, and slowly, they came up and clutched the back of the taller teen's shirt. And Nana saw what she had not seen earlier this morning.


	23. Necessities

Chapter 23: _Necessities_

Hana had come here ready to tell the reckless, masochistic brunette exactly what she thought of his idiotic escapade. But after seeing that face over the baseball player's shoulder, she couldn't. Those expressive brown eyes had gone from wider that she had ever thought possible to closed tight as if they were worried that if they remained opened they would reveal that their owner had been a dreaming. Tsuna needed something more than a lecture right now.

"So what's wrong with the moronic monkey king?" she asked as Takeshi finally released Tsuna. The small brunette hid behind his hair in an obvious attempt to escape the question, but Takeshi nudged the small brunette's shoulder. After a quick glance to Takeshi, Tsuna faced Hana.

"He has a fever," he said quietly, his shoulders almost as slumped as they had been when he opened the door.

"Does he need a doctor?" asked Hana.

"I don't know," said the small brunette, his eyes flickering to his mother. The woman's sad strained expression quickly changed to an almost bright smile as Tsuna glanced at her. Hana frowned at the very fake smile and the effect it had on Tsuna's expressive brown eyes. "He's gotten them before, and they usually go away by themselves."

"Go away by themselves?" asked Hana with a cocked eyebrow. So the moronic monkey had gotten sick before and probably often given these two's reactions. That explained part of the overprotective streak Tsuna had for the brat. "Do you know what causes them?"

Tsuna shook his head, the way his eyes couldn't stay on her revealing where he wanted to be.

"Let's go have look then," said Hana, taking off her shoes and stepping in next to Tsuna. "Where's the monkey king's room?"

"I-it's ok—"

"If he's that bad, you're going to need help. People who just got out of the hospital should not be hanging around sickbeds," she said, not allowing the small brunette to fall back into that line of thinking. Takeshi had done a good job of making it clear that they weren't going anywhere. Out of the corner of her eye, she examined the small brunette and felt something loosen at his healthily cream skin and clear (and not closed) brown eyes. She crossed her arms and motioned with her head to the stairs. "Are you going to show us or are we going to have to guess?"

The clear brown eyes blinked, and Tsuna's whole body seemed to sag in an inaudible sigh. The small brunette went up the stairs closely followed by Hana and Takeshi. The idiot monkey trailed behind, earning a quick glance from Hana. He appeared more tense than when they entered. Hana decided to keep an eye on the idiot as they reached the top of the stairs and turned to the left.

"Tamaki-san," said Tsuna, "we're coming in."

The warning proved to be unnecessary as the moronic monkey lay eyes closed on the bed. A wet towel had slid off the brat's forehead, and Tsuna moved to fix it. Hana took the towel from the small brunette's hand and put it on the brat herself. Her hand jerked as it brushed against the sleeping brat's forehead.

"Do you have a thermometer?" asked Hana. Tsuna hurried to get it, but Takeshi stopped him.

"You keep it in the bathroom, right?" said the baseball player. Tsuna nodded, and Takeshi grinned. "I'll go get it."

"Idiot monkey, make yourself useful and make sure that the two Sawadas have eaten something," said Hana. The silver haired teen tensed further at the command, and Tsuna opened his mouth. "Did you eat breakfast?"

Tsuna mumbled, but Hana knew an excuse when she heard one whether it was intelligible or not.

"You won't be of any help to him if you're weak from hunger," said Hana. She directed another sharp look at the idiot monkey, who stepped forward and grabbed the small brunette's shoulder. The contact made both jump, and Tsuna gazed up at the silver haired teen in surprise. The idiot monkey looked away.

"The wench's right," the idiot monkey grumbled, not pulling the small brunette to the door, but seeming intent on doing so. Hana caught Tsuna's confused gaze and tried to copy the wordless communication that passed so easily between the small brunette and the baseball player. Tsuna blinked and then nodded, hopefully understanding that the idiot monkey needed to be talked to. A conversation between the two would get Tsuna out of the room and to where there was food at least. The small brunette lead the idiot monkey back down the stairs, and Hana picked up the warm towel and placed her hand on the burning forehead. She frowned as she took it off, her hand stinging from the heat.

"Found it," said Takeshi, handing her an electronic thermometer. She twisted the cap off and stuck into the brat's mouth. A few seconds passed, and it beeped. The numbers on the electronic readout explained why the thermometer had not been used. If this temperature was a recurring event for someone in her family, she wouldn't want to see those numbers either. A shuffling drew her attention away from the numbers. "How bad is it?"

"They need to call a doctor," said Hana. "Usual or not, a fever that high cannot go unchecked."

Takeshi nodded and stared at the sick brat. The moronic monkey king shifted as if he could feel the baseball player's eyes on him and winced at the movement.

"He looks a lot like Tsuna," said Takeshi.

"They're twins," said Hana. She refused to see Tsuna in those sick flushed cheeks. "We should hurry and explain the situation to the others."

"They know," said Takeshi quietly. He turned dark hazel eyes on her. "Tsuna and Sawada-san don't need to be told. They know it's serious."

"Then why haven't they gotten a doctor?"

"Because," said Takeshi, his face cringed with pain as his gaze drifted away from hers, "doctors haven't helped before."

She put a hand on his arm and returned the gaze to herself.

"Then we'll have to find a doctor who will."

* * *

><p>The bomber stood at the door as Tsuna's mother worked soundlessly in kitchen preparing a second breakfast for all their guests. Tsuna sat at the table, knowing by his mother's silence that she didn't want company. He motioned for Gokudera to sit next to Tsuna, but the silver haired teen didn't see the gesture, too involved in looking the opposite way.<p>

"Gokudera," said Tsuna, ignoring the bomber's full body cringe at the call. "Please sit."

The bomber didn't move, not even to look at Tsuna. Tsuna leaned back in his chair and ignored the stairs behind the bomber. Hana was right, both about talking to Gokudera and eating. Tsuna's stomach growled, but since his mother was so quiet, Tsuna ignored it in favor of figuring out why the bomber wasn't looking at him. He had known the instant he opened the door (thanks to the feeling) that his friends had known exactly where he had been. Hana and Takeshi's reaction had surprised him. He smiled a bit crookedly at his hands at the recent memory a bit embarrassed, but the smile faded at the image of the bomber facing blank faced away from Tsuna.

"Gokudera," Tsuna said softly, not looking. He didn't want to see the cringe again. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't…H-Hibari doesn't…I-I…"

Tsuna bit his tongue, his best friend's words sounding in his head. Gokudera wouldn't buy his excuses any more than Takeshi would.

"I was scared," said Tsuna, his fists clenching. "I…I should have told you, but…Takeshi and Gokudera would have come with me….And I didn't want you hurt…."

"I'm going back to Italy," said the bomber, and Tsuna's head snapped up. The bomber was still turned away. "My father has informed me that he has found a way for me to enter an American university early and complete my education. He wants me to come home so that he can complete the process."

Tsuna's chest constricted, and Tsuna could barely register that the heat burned under his skin as it did when someone was lying to him. He took a deep breath and listened to his erratic heartbeat. The beat steadied, but the heaviness remained.

"You're going back to Italy?" asked Tsuna, his face hopefully not reflecting the sickly tone of his voice. Not that the bomber would see it still turned away from Tsuna. The bomber gave a sharp nod, and the heaviness singed near the small brunette's heart. "Why?"

"My father—"

"That's a lie," said Tsuna, the words harder to say as his breath became erratic again. He focused solely on the bomber, willing the silver haired teen to _look at him_. "Gokudera, please. I'm sorry. I didn't…Please don't lea—"

"It's not Tsuna-sama's fault," said the bomber. "This is my decision."

"But why?" asked Tsuna. He had lost the bomber once to Tamaki. Tsuna didn't want to lose the silver haired teen twice. Not because it felt wrong (though it did) or because it was Tsuna's fault (though it was). Gokudera wouldn't be happy returning to Italy. He hadn't once spoken fondly of his country or his family. This explanation (lie, it was a lie) was his first mention of them at all other than that one cryptic phrase on Parent Day.

"I have to return to Italy at some point, and since I can no longer belong to the Mafi—"

"Stop," said Tsuna. He could hear it. In every word the bomber said, it echoed and made each breath harder to take. The uselessness, the worthlessness that permeated each of the bomber's words. "Please stop, Gokudera."

The bomber stayed in the same position, and Tsuna couldn't take it anymore. He stood and walked around the table and to the bomber's side. The fidgets and shakes ended the instant the bomber's shadowed face came into clear view. The tautness around the eyes and stiff lips betrayed the otherwise emotionless expression. The emotion Tsuna had heard was etched into those subtle but still-there lines.

"Gokudera, look at me," Tsuna pleaded. The green eyes remained fixed on the railing of the stairs. Tsuna grabbed the bomber's jacket sleeve, fingers digging into the material. A bright sheen filmed the clear green eyes and nearly made Tsuna let go. But he couldn't. Gokudera would leave, and Tsuna wouldn't be able to stop the bomber. Tsuna opened his mouth, so desperately wanting to say the right thing, to do the right thing, to make Gokudera stay. But nothing came. The green eyes looked down, but still Tsuna couldn't think, couldn't do anything. He closed his mouth and opened it again, hoping and praying and willing with all his might, but only sizzling from the kitchen filled the air. He dropped his hand, and it got caught at the edge of the bomber's sleeve. Tsuna let his fingers cling to the fabric until the well-worn fabric was tangled up with the white-knuckled digits.

"…I need you too," Tsuna whispered, almost without realizing it. But the words were true. Tsuna hadn't realized how much he needed his friends, not until Takeshi had held the small brunette, allowing Tsuna to lean on the baseball player. Tsuna hadn't allowed himself to lean on anyone in so long, but he knew (with or without the feeling) that he could lean on these three. Maybe Yamamoto-san and Fon too. Tsuna didn't want to lose one of the few people he could truly trust.

Gokudera had gone stiff as a board at fingers clinging to his jacket, and Tsuna tightened his grip on the other boy's sleeve before disentangling his fingers from the yellow jacket. He prepared to apologize to the bomber and wish Gokudera the best in Italy and America when the bomber suddenly fell on one knee. He grabbed Tsuna's hand, and Tsuna barely kept from snatching it back in reflex.

""I, Hayato Gokudera," the silver haired teen said in an odd lilting tone. The strange musicality in his tone continued into the next words, "pledge to protect this man, Tsunayoshi Sawada, his family and brother." The bomber lifted up his free hand and bit his thumb hard enough to make it bleed. "With my blood and my children's." He pressed his bleeding finger on the wrist of the hand holding Tsuna's, and only the heat stopped Tsuna from letting out a squeak of protest at the display. "I swear to obey with love and respect. I enter alive into this oath freely and willingly and will break it only in death."

Burning green eyes met Tsuna's, and a different weight settled in Tsuna's chest. Automatically, almost reflexively, Tsuna nodded and wrapped his free hand around the blood smeared wrist.

"What is going on here?" asked a slightly irritated voice. Hana stood at the bottom of the stairs with her arms crossed.

"None of your business, wench," said Gokudera, standing up and glaring at the tall girl. Tsuna stared at his now bloody hand and wondered why he didn't find it as disgusting as he should.

"That looked cool," said Takeshi, wrapping an arm around Gokudera's shoulder, and though the only time the baseball player had done that before had been a less than pleasant circumstance, the image of Gokudera scowling under the baseball player's arm looked right. "Could you teach me how to do that?"

"Breakfast is ready!" said Tsuna's mother cheerfully, and unknowingly stopping the bomber from yelling at the baseball player. "Oh, did you start playing with the ketchup? Silly boys. Go watch your hands. You don't want ketchup in your okayu."

Both boys exchanged glances, and Gokudera clicked his tongue but headed for the bathroom. Tsuna followed, a new lightness in his steps. Even without asking or knowing exactly what Gokudera's strange words meant, Tsuna knew that Gokudera wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

><p>The ranking prince was still behind him as Lancia made to knock on the door that the sun arcobaleno had pointed out. A familiar mop of brown hair opened it before the man's hand met with the door, and strangely child-like eyes met Lancia's green. Their clearness could not be mistaken for anyone else's though. Lancia fell down on one knee and took the boy's hand.<p>

"Good to see you up and about, Vongola Decimo," said Lancia, giving the boy (he looked so young with those eyes so wide and innocent and face flushed and flustered) a gentle smile.

"L-Lancia-san, w-what a-are y-you d-doing?" asked the Vongola Decimo.

"Someone promised that he would remain in Vongola custody," said the sun arcobaleno, leaping none too gently onto the boy's head. "A boss shouldn't forget his promises, especially if they were made to the Vindice."

"The Vindice are ranked #1 under the most unforgiving organizations in the world," said the ranking prince. "You should not cross them."

The Vongola Decimo's brown eyes (they were so expressive—too expressive) softened as he noticed the ranking prince. The small dark blonde hid behind Lancia who had stood at a subtle hand gesture from the Vongola Decimo which looked more reflexive than purposeful. The ranking boy couldn't escape the Vongola Decimo's gaze.

"H-hi," said the Vongola Decimo. "W-who a-are y-you?"

Clutching the tall man's pant leg, the ranking prince made a good attempt at a Japanese bow.

"My name's Fuuta de la Stella," said the little so-called prince. Lancia watched as the Vongola Decimo revealed himself to be all that Lancia had seen and more as the older boy crouched down to the younger boy's level.

"I-I'm S-Sawada T-Tsunayoshi, b-but y-you c-can c-call m-me T-Tsuna," said the Vongola Decimo. He smiled gentler than anyone Lancia had seen, even the _Draghi_ boss. "I-it's n-nice t-to m-meet y-you."

"Are you I-pin and Lambo's哥哥'?" asked the ranking prince, releasing his hold on the man's pants.

"U-um, y-yes," said the Vongola Decimo. "That's Tsuna in Chinese."

"No it's not," said the ranking prince. The small blonde had an amused, child-like smile, the first Lancia had seen the whole time the younger boy was glued to the man's side. "It means 'big brother.'"

"B-big b-brother?" The already wide eyes grew even wider.

"Mm-hm," said the ranking prince. "Lambo and I-pin's哥哥' is funny."

"B-but w-why—ow!" the small brunette exclaimed at the arcobaleno on his head kicked the brunette. "W-w—why would they c-c—call me that?"

"Because you're their big brother," said the Italian boy, a full blown grin on his face. The Vongola Decimo's flustered face was quite the sight. No one would imagine this shy, distraught boy was the same one who took on Mukuro and the Vindice and came out on the winning side. But that knowledge made the sight more fascinating.

"Tsuna, you shouldn't sneak away like that when we're talking. Gokudera nearly ran after you, and Hana's barely keeping him from running out in the middle of his explanation to your mom. He was telling us that he knows a doctor nearby who can check Tamaki over," said a familiar sounding voice. The teen from the hospital appeared behind the crouched Vongola Decimo. "Oh it's you again."

"Y-y—you've met him?" asked Tsuna.

"He was at the hospital when we got there," said the other teen. The Vongola Decimo gained an awkwardness that was all unsure and hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar guilty. The other teen grinned widened at the smaller brunette's increasing discomfort. "The kid said he was with you when you collapsed."

"You went t-t—to the hospital?"

The teen nodded, and the grin became oddly stretched. But it relaxed back into its original form when the Vongola Decimo's crouch fell back into an almost sitting position thanks to the sun arcobaleno leaping off the boy's head, and the small brunette let out a yelp. The ranking prince giggled and let go of Lancia's leg. He stood in front of the fallen brunette staring curiously before stretching out and patting the older boy's wild hair.

"I-pin's right," the ranking prince chirped. "It's really soft."

Suddenly, gravity held no sway and the loose items around the area began to float. Lancia shifted all his weight to his feet to keep from floating away. The ranking prince's rankings were known to have a strange power, and apparently the pull of the earth's gravity could not compare to it. Somehow, the Vongola Decimo and the taller teen kept from floating away, but the rocks and the potted plants did not escape the strange pull.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi's hair is ranked #72 out of 2190 softest things in the world," said the ranking prince, his eyes glowing with a multitude of colors. The whole of space reflected in the young boy's gaze. "And Sawada Tsunayoshi's heart ranks #1 kindest out of the 374192 in the mafia." The ranking prince blinked, and the darkness of space disappeared from the boy's eyes.

"Wow, people who play Tamaki's mafia games have some really cool tricks," said the other teen. Lancia refrained from glaring at the teen in the two boys' presence. This is exactly why he had pushed for the sun arcobaleno to show Lancia where the Vongola Decimo was. The small brunette should not be left unprotected while he was still recovering. If even one _famiglia_ heard of the weakness, the Vongola Decimo would not survive the week.

"Baseball idiot, what's taking so long?" asked an irate voice. The silver haired teen that the arcobaleno had identified as Smokin' Bomb Hayato appeared in the doorway. The Smokin' Bomb instantly flashed out his signature weapon and stepped in front of the small brunette. "You."

"Me," said Lancia, relaxing into a non-threatening pose. The man was glad that the young hitman had heard Lancia's advice, but the guard was far too late. If Lancia had come to kill the Vongola Decimo, the small brunette would have died ten times. No one is strong enough to withstand bullets, and from what the man had seen, this boss had a naiveté that could be his undoing. The man would have to keep a close eye on the Vongola Decimo if the small brunette had the terrible habit of sneaking off on his own without telling anyone. "I have come to put myself back under the Vongola Decimo's custody."

"I had a friend of mine watching them in the meantime," said the sun arcobaleno. "You should be grateful to me, Dame-Tsuna."

"The moronic imitation is sick," said the bomber, the number of dynamites in his hands multiplying. But more did not mean better. "So go back to wherever you came from."

"Gokudera, that's rude," said the Vongola Decimo. The small brunette stood and placed a hand on the bomber's arm. The Smokin' Bomb didn't shift or move from his position, but the bomber's form suddenly seemed firmer. "L-L—Lancia-san is a friend."

The clear brown eyes looked apologetically at Lancia as the bomber reluctantly put away the explosives. Lancia gave the small brunette another small smile. There was nothing to forgive on the boy's side.

"Yeah, you remember that the kid said that Lancia helped Tsuna when he fought whoever Hibari went after," said the dark haired teen. So the oblivious teen knew little to nothing then. And the silver haired teen had no real clue, despite being raised in the mafia, when or how to protect his boss. How had the Vongola Decimo survived this long? No wonder the two had been nowhere near the battle with Mukuro. They would have been burdens, not assets.

"Actually, Lancia fought with Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. "Dame-Tsuna won and then went after the real Rokudo Mukuro."

"Rokudo Mukuro?" said the Smokin' Bomb, green eyes widening and then staring at the small brunette who had hidden behind long bangs of brown hair. The bomber paled, grew green, and then turned bright red and back to Lancia. A slim hand tugged on the Smokin' Bomb's sleeve and kept the bomber from pulling his dynamites back out.

"Who is at the door that you all are standing around like monkeys?" asked a female voice, and sure enough, the only female of the three teens stepped into the already crowded entrance. Her face immediately hardened upon seeing Lancia. "What are you doing here?"

"As I have already said," said Lancia, trying to keep his temper in check. He did not want to snap at the Vongola Decimo's woman. Even the meekest of men would grow fierce in defense of the one who held their heart, and Lancia knew that this small brunette could be quite fierce. "I came to remain under the Vongola Decimo's aegis."

"So you're one of the moronic monkey king's lackeys," said the girl, and Lancia was picking up a pattern that was making little sense. The three's body language reflected a deep respect and affection for the small brunette which the three had automatically surrounded. And yet any reference to Vongola Decimo had been met with disdain. And Lancia highly doubted that the girl would refer to the small brunette as a monkey king. There were women who maltreated those who loved them, but by the small brunette's quick look to the stairs…

"Who is this 'moronic monkey king' that you keep mentioning?" asked Lancia.

"Hana means Tamaki," said the first teen. His grin was faded, and his eyes were sharper. "You play mafia with him."

"I already said, I don't play mafia," said the man reminding himself of the boys to keep from growling at the teen's continued ignorance. "I am mafia, and I am currently supposed to be under the Vongola Decimo's custody."

"Why?" asked the female, her whole stance aggressive though anyone with experience could tell that she was not a trained combatant.

"Because that was the deal with the Vindice," said the arcobaleno. The bomber paled to paper white while the other two had identical looks of confusion. The black haired teen's confusion disappeared when the other teen saw the bomber's face, and the grin that Lancia had labeled as persistent dropped.

"Who are the Vindice?" asked the black haired teen in a tone as serious as his expression.

"Gokudera-kun, is that your doctor friend?" asked a fourth voice, and somehow a woman squeezed into the group standing inside the doorway. The black haired teen's grin immediately reappeared.

"Gokudera hasn't gone to get the special doctor. This is one of Tamaki's friends," said the black haired teen.

"Then you'll want to come back tomorrow. Tamaki should be better by then," said the woman, who given the resemblance between the small brunette and her was most likely the Vongola Decimo's mother. Lancia executed his best Japanese bow.

"My name is Lancia. It is a pleasure to meet you," said the man.

"So polite! My name's Sawada Nana, but please call me Nana. It would make me feel so young to be called that by such a polite young man as yourself," said the woman, Nana.

"As you wish, Nana-san," said Lancia, hoping the form of address was proper. The smile on the woman's face confirmed that she approved.

"Sorry, Sawada-san, but Gokudera will go after we finish talking with Lancia," said Takeshi.

"I understand," said the woman, but her smile strained a little. "It's not every day that Tamaki's friends come over, especially not one so polite."

"Who is this Tamaki?" asked the tall man. The name (and various nicknames associated with it) had been repeated enough in the conversation that Lancia could tell that the name held some importance. Maybe the name explained the strange disdain that kept coming up. The entire group, except the small brunette, gave Lancia various forms of confused or calculating stares.

"He doesn't know Tamaki," said the small brunette, his voice low and quiet, but the whole group concentrated on it. "He thinks I am the Vongola Decimo."

Shock overcame confusion in most the group, and Lancia waited to understand whatever was going on with the teens. The truth would make itself clear soon enough. The first to react was the small brunette's mother.

"I didn't know Tsu-kun was playing Reborn's game too," said the woman, confirming her ignorance in the matter. Her ignorance as well as the black haired teen's could account for the surprise at the proclamation on most faces, but not the Smokin' Bomb's. There was still more to the conversation. The answer to who Tamaki was hadn't been answered, but an idea had settled into Lancia's head. The man would continue to listen and figure out exactly how right he was. He hoped he was wrong. "So Lancia-san is Tsu-kun's friend. So that's why he's so polite. Tsu-kun had such good taste in friends."

The small brunette blushed at the comment, and the woman smiled warmly and oddly sadly at her son.

"I'll go make some more food so that you can invite Lancia-san to have breakfast with us, okay, Tsu-kun?" said the woman, and the small brunette nodded stiffly, his face tense in surprise. The woman gave him one last smile before going back into the house.

"Tsuna," said Takeshi, the teen's grin disappearing as soon as the woman returned into the house. The entire group's attention shifted back to the small brunette. "I thought you didn't want to play Tamaki's mafia game?"

"I don't," said the small brunette firmly, apparently used to the other teen's reference to the mafia as a game. The boy's heart was too soft if he allowed the taller teen to continue his delusions, but there was still something Lancia wasn't certain of… "I…I pretended to be Tamaki."

"Tsuna-sama, you didn't…," the bomber started, the whiteness from before looking healthy cream next to the teen's new color. The bomber stuck his hands into his pockets, probably fingering some of his famous dynamite, before continuing. "You didn't pretend to be the future Vongola Decimo in front of the Vindice?"

"Dame-Tsuna claimed to be the future Vongola Decimo when he made the deal for Lancia's freedom," said the sun arcobaleno, the rim of his hat obscuring his face.

"He what!" yelled the Smokin' Bomb, nearly deafening all those in the doorway. If what Lancia understood from the conversation was correct, he could forgive the bomber's volume. The man wished that the Vindice had not confiscated his Steel Serpent Ball. The ball would not be much defense against those monsters, but some was better than none. And though he could probably off a few with his fists, he would be more use if he still had his weapon.

"Tsuna, what is the Vindice? Is it some dangerous new enemy that Tamaki had to defeat?" asked the dark haired teen. The small brunette didn't answer.

"The mafia's not a game, baseball idiot," said the Smokin' Bomb, recovering some of his color in anger. "And the Vindice are not an enemy. They are the mafia's police."

"No wonder Gokudera doesn't like them," said the black haired teen with his grin stretching wider. "Gokudera doesn't like the police."

"You're an idiot," said the bomber, pulling out a cigarette with shaky hands. He tried to use a lighter to light it, but the vibration of his hands kept flickering out the flame. The Smokin' Bomb didn't appear to notice. "I'd face the police a thousand times before taking on those monsters."

The other teen's grin froze then dropped of all together.

"The Vindice are the #1 most unforgiving organization in the world," said the ranking prince, his voice shaking a bit, "if I-pin and Lambo's哥哥' lied to them…"

No one wanted to hear the end of that sentence.

"Tell me," said Lancia, his tone as deep as he could get it. "Who is Tamaki?"


	24. What's Understood

Chapter 24: _What's Understood_

When Lancia finally got the answer to his question, he changed from pale to green to red. Reborn would have smirked, but the reaction didn't amuse the hitman as much as it would have in any other situation. Lancia's reaction was unsettlingly like the one the hitman had hidden upon watching the small brunette negotiate with the cloaked specters. Dame-Tsuna had risked too much in ignorance for someone he had only met that same day.

"L-Lancia w-wasn't at f-fault," said Dame-Tsuna, still not seeing what he had done, what he had come close to causing. "M-Mukuro—"

"Rokudo Mukuro was experimented on by the Estraneo Famiglia from the age of three," interrupted Reborn. He tired of the former weakling's excuses. "Does that mean that the Estraneo's destruction wasn't his fault either?"

The small brunette jerked violently underneath Reborn, but the hitman refused to regret his words. The small brunette had to realize his stupidity before it got him killed.

"So you're not the Vongola Decimo," said Fuuta de la Stella. The Mafia ranking prince brightened. "You're just I-pin and Lambo's哥哥'."

"You lied to the Vindice," said Lancia, the color fading from his face again.

"What would they do to Tsuna if they found out that he lied to them?" asked Yamamoto.

"Best case, they would put him in the lower levels of the Vendicare prison," said Reborn, staving off the wave of information that he had gathered about those lower levels from flooding his thoughts. Dame-Tsuna had indeed risked too much.

"B-best c-case?" said Dame-Tsuna. Reborn had allowed the former weakling to stutter since Lancia and the ranking prince had already heard the small brunette's speech impediment and the hitman wanted to observe his new student a while longer. But the stutter was beginning to become unforgivable.

"Anyone of high standing in the Mafia can make deals with the Vindice," said Gokudera as the bomber continued to attempt to light the cigarette hanging from his lips. The teen's color had persisted at one shade darker than corpse white.

"So someone could free Tsuna?" asked Yamamoto. The quizzical expression would distract most from the tightening fists at the baseball player's side.

"Yes," the tall man, a hollowness echoing through the man's tone. "For any reason."

The weight of the unspoken horror made its home on the young swordsman's shoulders. The whole group silenced under the could-still-occur possibilities.

"B-but t-they d-didn't—t-they d-don't k-know," said Dame-Tsuna.

"But they could know. Someone could tell them," said the Kurokawa girl. She had remained so silent and blank faced that Reborn had not known for certain if she had understood what they were discussing. By the spark in her eyes, she understood too well what almost had been and could be lost, though she likely didn't understand the whole situation. "What if the moronic monkey king decides you offended him or wants to punish you for something idiotic like you stopping him from going after Kyoko again? What would stop him from telling them simply to make you suffer?"

A flicker of a shadow crossed Lancia's face at the girl's warning, and Reborn could read more than anger in the fleeting expression.

"T-Tamaki-san w-wouldn't d-do t-that," said Dame-Tsuna.

"Of course," said Reborn, picturing the shocked face of the former weakling as the small brunette stilled beneath the hitman. Reborn smirked. "The brat won't know."

"He won't," said the Kurokawa girl flatly. Her disbelief would have been insulting if she had had any clue as to who Reborn was. But he could forgive her ignorance.

"He won't," repeated the hitman, enjoying the girl's sudden discomfort under his gaze. She crossed her arms and took a step back in an attempt to neutralize the itching that must have started up her arms. Her allergy to children was certainly entertaining despite the worrisome weakness it caused her. "I'll take care of the brat."

* * *

><p>Three soccer players had broken their legs, two basketball players had come in with stomachaches from drinking the same rotten milk, and three teens from that one 1-A class had gotten several scratches, some quite deep, due to their poor decision to badmouth the missing male school idol and the absent bad boy delinquent in front of the two's fangirls. All in all, a very dull day. Not one honey had come to visit. Dr. Shamal scowled as he heard footsteps once again heading towards the school's doctor office. He entertained himself by trying to figure out what this one would be coming for. The footsteps were solid, if a bit hurried, so no leg injuries. One side was not favored over another, so no broken arms or internal intestinal problems. The person would lean to the damaged arm's side or forward if that were the case. The footsteps were definitely too heavy to be female, and Dr. Shamal's interest dwindled. They had a familiar cadence though. Maybe he was overthinking it and the person was headed past the doctor's office and headed to see the janitor's closet or something. That was the only thing left down this hallway, and whoever he was would be more welcome there. Shamal's scowl deepened as the door to the office flung open.<p>

"Hey, Shamal," said a familiar scowling face. "I have a job for you."

"Hayato-kun, you came to visit me. Did you bring that beautiful sister of yours with you?" asked Shamal, looking around for the red head, but he didn't expect to see the woman. The silver haired teen would have collapsed if the lovely Bianchi was anywhere near, since the poor boy had developed Acute Specific Phobia.

"No. I told you I have a job for you."

"Is there a beautiful woman involved?" asked the doctor, feigning interest. With the young Uragano, the possibility was unlikely. The last time he had seen the silver haired boy, the teen had been scouting the downtown area for danger (something about protecting a fish-sama) and had surprised the doctor by appearing healthier than the boy had since Hayato had run away from the Uragano_ Famiglia_. The sickly paleness had faded to the natural peach complexion that looked so stunning on the teen's sister. And the doctor had been unable to see the bone structure under the well-fed flesh. The teen's change from poor to good health had caused the doctor to lower his guard enough that a sudden burst of murderous intent had Shamal reacting and sending out one of his more benign (but still deadly under the right circumstances) trident mosquitos. Thankfully, cherry blossoms did not bloom until spring, so Shamal had a couple of months to track down the recipient of the disease and give whoever it was the antidote. Just because he didn't treat men didn't mean that he didn't undo his mistakes.

"Why don't you come and find out?" asked the teen. Apparently, Hayato had grown up while he was away.

"I don't think I will. I would hate to steal anyone away from little Hayato-kun."

"I promised Tsuna-sama that you would come, and you're coming whether you want to or not," growled "little Hayato-kun." So good to see that the boy hadn't completely outgrown his temper. So the one he had been protecting was called Tsuna-sama. There was a Sawada Tsunayoshi in the student records, and that Tsunayoshi might have a connection to the Sawada brat that Reborn had been training. But the records had "mysteriously" lost all the photos, so the doctor had not been able to solidify the connection. Sawada Tsunayoshi had been hard to pin down in the male population, and Shamal was not that interested. Dealing with Sawada Tamaki had been enough. Reborn could threaten as much as the hitman liked, Shamal was not going within three miles of the Vongola heir. As a well-established freelance assassin, Shamal had that privilege.

"And what are you going to do if I don't tell you?" asked the doctor, enjoying the teen's growingly fierce glare.

"I'll tell _Madre_ where you are."

The room appeared to cool to an unholy cold temperature as the blood in his face faded.

"So where is this new patient of mine?" asked the doctor as he rerouted the blood flow back to his head. A sudden change in blood flow like that could affect the delicate balance of diseases in his body. That woman could kill him with the mere threat of her presence. The teen grimaced, obviously both pleased and disgusted that the doctor had given in so easily. But Hayato should know better than anyone the damage that woman could do.

The door slammed open a second time.

"There you are, Octopus Head!" cried a loud annoying voice. Unfortunately, due to several boxing accidents, Shamal had become well acquainted with the voice's owner.

"Don't call me that, Lawn Head!" yelled Hayato. "And get out!"

"Do you EXTREMELY know where Sawada-kun is?"

"The moronic imitation is sick at home. Now get lost," grumbled the bomber. The other teen continued with unending enthusiasm.

"And where is the other Sawada?" asked the loud boxer. Shamal considered using his Narcoleptic Disease. The boxer would only stop when asleep, but continued use of that particular disease could cause permanent effects. And the doctor would not want to have to fix that error. The Insomniac Disease that he would probably have to use to wake the boxer would have adverse and highly unwanted consequences, since its side effects included hyperactivity.

"What do you want with Tsuna-sama?" demanded Hayato. The teen's fingers twitched, and Shamal vaguely wondered which hiding place Hayato would pull his dynamite out of. The faint and healing burns that marred the otherwise healthy peach skin reminded Shamal of his greatest mistake. The doctor should have risked letting the boy's inquisitive mind near the endless medical abnormalities. Whatever the boy would have tried in terms of copying the doctor's own condition would have resulted in less damage than those explosives had caused.

"Kyoko is EXTREMELY worried about him," said Ryohei. Hayato snorted.

"Fine. Tell the dumb girl that he's out of the hospital."

Hayato's Tsuna-sama had been at the hospital. So Shamal would get to see who Sawada Tsunayoshi was first hand, and perhaps the mystery of his relation to Reborn's brat would be revealed. He didn't treat men, but he would go out of curiosity and under the threat of _her_. He could always pretend that he couldn't treat the boy and that would be that.

"Don't call my sister that EXTREMELY wrong name!"

"I'll call her whatever I want," growled Hayato. He pushed past the boxer. "Come on."

Shamal opened his mouth to remind the silver haired teen that Hayato couldn't order the doctor around, threat or no, but the boxer yelled and cut Shamal off.

"Where are we going?"

"To Tsuna-sama's house," answered Hayato as he exited. "You can see the moronic imitation, but you better not bother Tsuna-sama, got it?"

"That's an EXTREMELY good idea! I will not bother the other Sawada to the EXTREME!" yelled the boxer running after Hayato. Shamal smiled. Who knew that awkward, angry little genius could actually make friends?

* * *

><p>Tsuna hadn't moved since Gokudera had left to find the special doctor who knew everything there was to know about diseases. Takeshi wasn't sure he believed Gokudera's doctor could cure Tamaki, but for Tsuna's sake the swordsman hoped that Gokudera was right. Hana had said she would go back to school determined to take notes and make sure that neither of them fell behind when Tsuna's brother got better, but she also looked like she wanted to go practice for something. Or maybe she wanted to go figure out her opponent. Hana was more of a planner, like a coach, so Takeshi guessed she wanted to go plan out what to do with those strange opponents from the mafia game. Takeshi's hands tighten into fists.<p>

Tsuna picked up the towel on his twin's forehead and put his hand on the wet forehead. The sleeping brunette moved closer to the hand, and Tsuna held it there. Hopefully, Tsuna would remember the towel soon, so Takeshi wouldn't to take the hand off again and put a fresh towel on.

"Tsu-kun, Takeshi-kun, Lancia-san, I brought some drinks," said Sawada-san. She set the tray of drinks on the table beside Tsuna. Lancia reached for one of the cups and returned to leaning against the wall opposite Tsuna. The man had a good view of the window and door from there. When Tsuna didn't move, Sawada-san gently took the hand on the warm forehead and pressed a cup into it. "Does Tama need his towel changed again?"

She unclenched the fingers around the used towel and ran her free hand in Tsuna's hair. Maybe the strange kid who had come with Lancia-san was right about Tsuna's hair being super soft. The woman hummed as she dipped the towel in a bucket by the corner and replaced it on the too warm forehead.

"Tsu-kun, drink up," said Sawada-san. "You too, Takeshi-kun."

Scratching the back of his head, Takeshi picked up the second cup from the tray and put it to his lips. Sawada-san turned back to Tsuna, who lifted his own drink and sipped. She watched him until he drank it all. He set the cup down, and smiling, she picked the tray back up.

"I'll come back when Gokudera-kun's doctor friend comes," she said still smiling. She locked eyes with Takeshi, and Takeshi couldn't help but nod at the plea. He would watch both Tsuna and Tsuna's brother. Her smile gentled and for an instant, Takeshi saw the shadow of a once beautifully rare smile.

"What do you mean you won't come up!" yelled Gokudera. He was really loud when he was upset.

"Look like he's back already," said Sawada-san. She started to head for the door, but she stopped. "Tsu-kun."

Tsuna lifted his head from where he had gone back to staring at his brother.

"Could you come down? Gokudera-kun is upset, and he listens to you," said the woman, that same smile on her face. Tsuna jerked, before nodding and standing to go to her. Lancia following closely behind, Takeshi went after them, as the two stepped down the stairs. Tsuna had a good mother.

"Get back here, perverted old man!" yelled Gokudera out the door. A man lazily put up a hand as he walked away.

"That's EXTREMELY unextreme! A doctor should find out what's wrong," yelled Ryohei-sempai. Takeshi slightly quickened his pace to match Tsuna's. The small brunette hadn't seen the boxer since going off with Hibari and was probably worried about the boxer's health if Gokudera was down there with their sempai.

"R-Ryohei-sempai? W-what a-are y-you d-doing h-here?" asked Tsuna as he looked at his mother had then at the kitchen and the little boy who had come with Lancia. So Tsuna had a bad feeling then. Tsuna's mother smiled and went to the kitchen taking along the little boy as Tsuna blocked her view of the door.

"I came to EXTREMELY visit my annoying little brother!" cried the boxer in his usually deafening tone. Gokudera should not have let Ryohei-sempai follow the bomber to Tsuna's house. Takeshi had more trouble than usual grinning. The swordsman didn't understand Tamaki's mafia game very well, but what happened with Tsuna and that Vindice group had to be serious.

"And where are you going?" asked the kid, appearing from nowhere like the kid did when he was really into that mafia game. The strange man that Gokudera had been yelling at had almost gone down the street but stopped at the kid's command.

"Oh, you know, off to admire the beautiful sights this town has to offer, especially since I don't owe any favors to anyone here and can enjoy myself," said the man, putting his hand in his pockets as he looked over his shoulder.

"W-wait, a-are y-you D-Dr. S-Shamal?" asked Tsuna. The doctor's brown eyes landed on Tsuna and grew hard. Takeshi stepped forward, and those cold eyes landed on the swordsman, who dropped his grin and casually picked up _Shigure Kintoki_ which had been leaning against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, Takeshi saw Lancia-san step next to Tsuna and Gokudera glare coldly back at the man. The man smirked and turned back to the small brunette.

"Ah, the boy who was scared that his teeth would eat him when they fell out. Or is it the boy who wanted to be girl so he could marry his Aniki? Or perhaps the boy who thought he could become a man by putting on his underwear backwards?"

"Eh? Who are you talking about?" asked Takeshi as he tapped his sword against his shoulder.

"Why the cute brunette in the middle of course," said the man causally turning around. "If my instincts weren't so good, I would think he was a girl."

"Don't you dare talk about Tsuna-sama that way!" yelled Gokudera, his fireworks appearing in his hands. Takeshi had to ask Gokudera how the silver haired teen did that magic trick and if it would work with _Shigure Kintoki_.

"Tsuna-sama? This boy is your Tsuna-sama," said the man. He looked like someone had told him his favorite team had traded all their players for second stringers.

"And I thought doctors were supposed to be smart," said the kid with his own smirk. The man glanced at the kid before looking back to Tsuna.

"…A-are y-you D-Dr. S-Shamal?" Tsuna asked again. The man said nothing, and Tsuna started forward. Takeshi moved to match Tsuna, but the small brunette shook his head slightly. Tsuna also sent one of his firm coach looks at Lancia and Gokudera. Lancia nodded and didn't move, and Gokudera made his fireworks disappear. Tsuna stopped right in front of the man and stood as if he was facing the hardest pitcher in the league. Takeshi knew even though he couldn't see them that Tsuna's eyes were tinted that vibrant orange. "Please, Dr. Shamal. Help my brother."

The man's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in a fast "o." The man slouched and grinned.

"Would this be your twin, Sawada Tamaki?"

"Yes," answered Tsuna.

"Sorry, but I don't treat men, especially spoiled brats," said the doctor and turned to leave, but Tsuna used that tone.

"You will treat him."

"And what will you do if I don't?" asked the doctor casually, as if Tsuna's tone hadn't affected him. But the man didn't move to leave.

"I don't know," said Tsuna, and Takeshi could hear the tone fading under Tsuna's worry. "B-but y-you…I-I c-can't let my b-brother die."

"…I don't treat men," said the doctor.

"H-he's not a man," said Tsuna, and Takeshi almost stepped forward, but the kid stopped him. With the toy gun, the kid looked threatening, but if Tsuna needed help, Takeshi would get around the kid somehow. "H-he's my little brother. A-and he…he's dying. He's dying and…I don't know why!"

Takeshi tried to go to Tsuna, but suddenly he couldn't move. The kid had his toy gun against Takeshi's leg, and another black one pointed at Gokudera and Lancia. And the black eyes held the three in place.

"How can you know he's dying?" asked the doctor, ignoring Tsuna's trembling shoulders. "He could just have a cold."

"He knows," said the kid, and the black eyes moved to the doctor. But they still couldn't move. "His intuition is ten times better than the brat's."

"And so you sic him on me," said the doctor, "in an attempt to get me to heal your student a second time. I told you that I owed you no more favors."

"It's not my pathetic student who I am asking the favor for," said the kid. "It's for my dame one."

The doctor's eyebrows shot up, and the man's slouch disappeared.

"Sounds like you're planning," said the doctor, "and that's known to be dangerous."

"It is," said the kid. The doctor frowned.

"Dr. Shamal," said Tsuna too quiet.

"Look, kid, I don't trea—"

"You have to treat him," said Tsuna, and Takeshi could hear the tone return with an added sharpness. But the heaviness that filled the air was new. "Tamaki will not die."

A gun shot, and everyone but Tsuna and Reborn jerked under the sound. The doctor clicked his tongue and tried to hide his irregular movement by raising his hand to his head.

"You have some interesting students," said the doctor, running his fingers through his hair. He stooped and picked up broken, twisted pieces of metal. "You didn't need to destroy it. It was an almost harmless strain of Kuru."

"The only one who harms my students is me," said the kid.

"Possessive as always," said the doctor. "I guess this means you won't leave me alone."

"I never planned to."

"Fine," said the doctor as he headed back into the house. "I couldn't say no to such an old friend."

Tsuna didn't move as the doctor finally went in and up the stairs. In a quick movement (Tsuna had gotten much faster, too fast), the small brunette went out into the street.

"Hey, Tsuna, wait," said Takeshi, the kid finally letting him through.

"Takeshi, could—I need you to stay here," said Tsuna. "Please. I told Fon-sensei I would go to see I-pin and Lambo."

"Gokudera can stay here and watch the doctor and your mom," said Takeshi. "Right, Gokudera?"

"I don't take orders from you," growled the silver haired teen. Tsuna locked gazes with Gokudera, and the silver haired teen's face softened. "But I can make sure the perverted doctor does his job and stays away from Tsuna-sama's mother."

"Thank you, Gokudera," said Tsuna. He turned to Takeshi, who grinned. He wasn't leaving Tsuna alone, not when Tsuna was scared enough to run away. With a sigh, Tsuna looked to Takeshi's right at Lancia. "Are you still in my custody too? I'm not the future Vongola Decimo."

"You are," said the kid, returning to his perch on Tsuna's hair. "Or you will be. My students do not become nobodies."

"What about Tamaki?" asked Tsuna.

"I have information that an offshoot organization of Vongola will soon have an opening."

* * *

><p>Tsuna wasn't ready to deal him at the moment, but the small brunette knew he couldn't ignore the lurking prefect any longer. The small brunette took a detour and stopped at a small park that the small brunette had played in with Tamaki when they were tiny and Tamaki hadn't gotten si—<p>

"Tsuna," said Takeshi softly. Tsuna nodded, confirming that the prefect was the one following them. Lancia's fists were clenched, and Tsuna had to catch the man's green eyes.

"It's okay, Lancia-san," said Tsuna. "He's a friend."

Lancia nearly frowned, but Tsuna sent the man a pleading look. The man nodded sharply and went back to scanning the area. Tsuna didn't know why the man was still following Tsuna around, since Tsuna wasn't the Vongola Decimo, but Tsuna had started to appreciate the tall man's presence. He had a similar silent understanding like both Yamamotos. Tsuna sat on a bench where his mother had often sat and chatted with other mothers as Tamaki and Tsuna played in the sandbox or the swings while the other kids more or less ignored the two. Tamaki didn't like playing with the other kids, and Tsuna had enjoyed playing under the big blue sky with his little brother.

Without a word to Tsuna, Takeshi had started a conversation with Lancia at the entrance of the park. Tsuna leaned back on the bench and stared at the sky. He had no idea why the prefect had been following them since Tsuna had left the house, but considering the prefect had not attacked Tsuna, the prefect had not been looking for the promised fight. Maybe. Hopefully. If not, Tsuna was going to end up bitten to death. Perhaps it would be over before Takeshi and Lancia tried to interfere and got bitten to death too.

"Midori tanabiku namimori no~"

Blinking Tsuna watched as a yellow ball of fluff floated through the air and chirped out a song. Was that the Namimori Middle's anthem?

"Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii~"

So that yellow ball was a bird, one of the ones that had been with that strange man who hid behind the two ugly twins. Tsuna didn't like to think about the bald, pale identical men. They were barely human and yet they moved together as if they were one being instead of two. Tsuna and Tamaki could never move with that sort of understanding.

"Itsumo kawaranu~"

The bird circled Tsuna's head, distracting Tsuna's thoughts.

"Sukoyaka kenage~"

Was the bird singing the Namimori Middle anthem? It had something to do with Hibari then. It had to. No one else liked that anthem.

"Aah, tomo ni uta—aah!"

Tsuna barely reacted in time to catch the bird as it fell out of the air.

"Reborn!" Tsuna said as the little bird lay frozen in his palm. "Why'd you do that?"

"Leon didn't like him," said the hitman from his seat on Tsuna's head. Tsuna wasn't sure he wanted to understand what the hitman meant by that explanation. The chameleon was still sleeping. Tsuna traced the tiny feathers with his fingers and recalled the green rough skin and cute yellow eyes that had been closed since Tsuna woke up the second time at the hospital. The bird chirped, responding to the slim fingers in its feathers and barely touching the skin underneath the yellow plumage. The tiny bird fluffed itself under Tsuna's hand and chirped again, pushing the hand away. Tsuna respected the small bird's wish and removed the hand, and the tiny yellow ball of fluff preened itself quickly before its tiny black eyes stared straight into Tsuna's face.

"Aah, tomo ni utaou~ Namimori chuu~"

Tsuna smiled a little as the bird flew off Tsuna's hand and landed on a head of black hair. The yellow ball of fluff should look strange on Namimori Middle's head prefect's head, but instead the bird seemed perfect nestled in Hibari's hair.

"Hibari," said Tsuna, not knowing what else to say under those steel grey eyes. Hibari didn't look happy (or rather indifferent which was as close to happy as Tsuna had ever seen him), but the prefect didn't look angry either. Maybe Tsuna would get away without being bitten to death.

"Herbivore," said Hibari, that unreadable expression scaring Tsuna. Usually, Tsuna could tell after examining a person's face what the person was feeling, but this time it felt like even Hibari didn't know what he was feeling. "Baby."

"Hibari Kyoya," said the hitman. "Did you need something?"

"Why are you following the herbivore?" asked the prefect.

"The same reason you are," Reborn answered, and Tsuna wished the hitman would get off the small brunette's head. Maybe then Tsuna could begin to understand what the two were talking about since the prefect was currently going from unreadable to annoyed. Tsuna had no idea why the hitman's answer had brought the prefect one step closer to biting Tsuna to death.

"The herbivore doesn't interest me," said the prefect.

"Herbivore, herbivore," chirped the bird.

"W-what's his name?" asked Tsuna, trying to keep the conversation from becoming more threatening to his health. The prefect gave Tsuna a flat look, and Tsuna pointed to the fluffy bird who hopped off Hibari's head and glided onto Tsuna's finger.

"Herbivore, herbivore," the bird continued bouncing on Tsuna's finger. Tsuna smiled again at the strange ball of yellow feathers.

"It doesn't need a name," said the prefect. Tsuna glanced at Hibari subtly, trying not to further aggravate the raven haired teen. The prefect had that indifferent expression that Tsuna was familiar with, and the small brunette let out a quiet breath in relief.

"W-what happened to the other birds?"

"They went to make nests," said Hibari, as if the information should be obvious. It probably was. Tsuna was no good at figuring out animal behavior and was still barely passing Biology with Hana's help.

"O-oh," Tsuna said. The bird had stopped bouncing and sat staring at Tsuna. Tsuna had curled his finger to make it easier for the bird to perch on. Hibari grunted and started to leave. The bird chirped and flew off Tsuna's finger and landed on Hibari's shoulder.

"It's Hibird," said the prefect before heading out of the park without giving either Lancia or Takeshi a glance. Both returned the favor and pretended not to see the prefect with a bird perched on his shoulder.

"Is it time to go yet?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna nodded carefully to keep Reborn from falling off his head. The small brunette feared the consequences of such an action.

"So he is part of your _famiglia_ then," said Lancia.

"I don't have a _famiglia_, Lancia-san," said Tsuna. The tall man smiled that smile from earlier, the one that had convinced Tsuna that the small brunette had done the right thing making that deal with the Vindice.

"Yes, you do."


	25. Keeping a Good Man Down

Chapter 25: _Keeping a Good Man Down_

The instant Tsuna entered Takesushi, two blurs attached themselves to him.

"哥哥'!" the two cried in unison. I-pin held on tightly to the boy's sweatshirt while Lambo alternated between pounding the small brunette's chest and sobbing full force into the light blue material. Tsuna tightened his hold on them.

"It's okay," said the small brunette softly, gently bouncing the two children. "I'm okay."

"Tsuna I-pin and Lambo 哥哥'," said the little girl in clearer Japanese than Tsuyoshi had heard from the Chinese girl before. "Tsuna not hurt. I-pin Lambo need哥哥'."

Tsuna smiled a kind soft smile that Tsuyoshi was sure would have some women swooning when the boy was taller. The small brunette nodded as he continued to rock the children.

"Hey, Dad. Do you remember Lancia-san?" asked Takeshi, motioning to the tall man that stood behind the two boys. The man bowed politely but kept his attention on the small brunette cradling the two children.

"Of course. We briefly met the last time he was here," said Tsuyoshi as Lambo's loud sobs quieted. The tall man's stance indicated that Lancia was prepared to move and intercept any attack launched against the small brunette and that the tall man had years of experience defending those who were valuable. Tsuyoshi hadn't thought much of the man's protest at being left alone at the shop while Tsuyoshi and the rest went to the hospital, but Tsuyoshi was starting to like what the facts implied. "Do you remember my name?"

"Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, correct?" asked Lancia, shifting his stance in response to the small brunette's movements, adjusting for the different openings Tsuna made as the small brunette rocked and comforted the two children. Tsuyoshi grinned and nodded.

"I see you haven't let him out of your sight," said Fon from his seat on the counter. The sun arcobaleno who had taken a seat next to the martial artist ignored the statement.

"His brother is sick," said the famous hitman. "Apparently, it is a recurring illness. They didn't take the brat to a doctor every time he developed the fever, so it was never recorded."

"And how does that factor into your plans?" asked the martial artist.

"It depends on the diagnosis," said the hitman. "I left Shamal with him."

"And how did you manage that?"

"I used up my favors last time when the brat was shot with more than ten Dying Will bullets," said the hitman a worrying smirk on the cherubic features. Tsuyoshi had little information on the Vongola Dying Will bullet, since the Vongola kept any information highly guarded. But if it made the recipient sick after prolonged use, Tsuyoshi wanted it nowhere near Takeshi or Tsuna. "But then Shamal tried to attack Dame-Tsuna."

"That would have him giving you a few more favors then," said the martial artist calmly. Fon turned to Tsuyoshi. "Are you certain you do not mind if we use the dojo?"

"I planned to take Takeshi to relearn the town," said Tsuyoshi. He should have known that the two would not forget the experienced swordsman's presence. "He has made little headway in his observation skills."

"All with time," said Fon. "And his increased motivation should work to speed up the process."

"It already has," said Tsuyoshi, grinning as he noticed his son's intent interest in the conversation despite Takeshi staying as close as the boy could to Tsuna. Lancia also had his attention on them given the tilt of the tall man's head. So the arcobaleno had planned to broadcast the conversation, but for what end, Tsuyoshi didn't know. The world's greatest hitman had something planned, and it involved Tsuna and probably the Vongola inheritance. The fact Fon would allow the sun arcobaleno to continue whatever the enigmatic hitman had planned gave Tsuyoshi pause, enough not to grab the small brunette and run. Fon would not allow his student to fall under the unnecessary peril that came along with the mafia world. Tsuna deserved better than that.

"Yamamoto-san," whispered the small brunette. The two children had fallen asleep in the boy's arms. Tsuna tilted his head towards the stairs, but Tsuyoshi shook his head. The older man leaned down and carefully unlatched the sleeping children from Tsuna's sweatshirt. The two had slept fitfully last night and had spent nearly all day down in the shop watching the door. For such a young boy, Tsuna had that strange feeling of safety that all guardians of children owned, and in the short time they had known him, the two children had come to depend on it.

"You need to go train," Tsuyoshi answered quietly as he adjusted the children with practiced ease. He now knew why his dear Mako had wanted more children. He locked eyes with Takeshi over Tsuna's head, and the novice swordsman gave a hesitant nod. Tsuyoshi knew that his son did not want to leave the small brunette, but Tsuna would be in the care of his sensei. Fon would allow no harm to come to Tsuna nor would the martial artist allow Tsuna to go off into danger. And if the hitman was half as attached to the small brunette as the sun arcobaleno seemed, then Tsuna was already as safe as possible.

* * *

><p>The sushi shop owner (and there was more to than man than just some average restaurant owner) headed up the stairs behind the counter to put the children to bed, and the young black haired teen whose name Lancia had finally confirmed was Takeshi followed the older man.<p>

"This way," said the storm arcobaleno. Lancia followed the small brunette and the two arcobaleno who had chosen to walk beside the small brunette. With such people surrounding the small brunette, the secret of the boy's strength was not all that much a secret. Lancia should be more worried about the boy's status as Vongola heir. While the Ninth had chosen the younger twin, this Tamaki that the small brunette had masqueraded as sounded anything but pleasant. And the tall man was inclined to think that Tsuna would make a better Vongola Decimo (the boy had all the makings of a great _famiglia_ and the strength and personality to hold them together), but if the small brunette never became a mafia don, Lancia would remain with the small brunette. This boy who had risked more than he knew to save Lancia deserved Lancia's respect and loyalty whether or not the small brunette belonged to the dark world of the mafia. And if Lancia could, he would keep that dark world away from the boy, from Tsuna. But the tall man knew the chances of keeping Tsuna away from the mafia had dwindled to slim when the sun arcobaleno took an interest in the boy and then the boy's own unknowing carelessness made the small brunette come to attention of the Vindice. The sun arcobaleno was right. No one lied to the Vindice.

They entered a dojo that was hidden in one of the back rooms of the shop. From the outside, no one would have ever guessed that there was enough space for a room like this one. As Lancia scanned the room for threats, Tsuna ran behind a wooden screen that was set up in one corner (probably so that the small brunette could change into the martial art uniform that he had used when he fought Rokudo Mukuro). A yelp was heard as the boy fell head first behind the screen.

"I didn't think you were the type to hold grudges," said the sun arcobaleno with a smirk that Lancia could barely see from the tall man's position.

"I don't understand what you're implying," said the storm arcobaleno as they headed towards the screen. Behind it, the small brunette lay face down on a cot that wasn't visible from the other side. Strange that it was a cot and not a futon as was usual for Japanese. The amused look on the storm arcobaleno's face and smirk on the sun arcobaleno's made Lancia think, but no. The storm arcobaleno would have been the one who chose a cot instead of a futon, and surely the calm arcobaleno had not meant for the boy to trip and fall onto it.

"That hurt," whispered the small brunette as he pushed himself up. "Fon-sensei, what is thi-Hiiee!"

"You should stay down, Dame Tsuna," said the sun arcobaleno as he stood on the boy's back. The small brunette groaned in obvious pain under the sun arcobaleno's sudden kick and wisely didn't try to get up again.

"W-what d-di—Hiiee!" the small brunette screeched. He closed his eyes and buried his head into the cot and as far as he could from the black pistol pointed at his head. "I-I—I'm sorry! Don't shoot, Reborn!"

"That's better," said the hitman, tilting his fedora up with the pistol's barrel. "I did it because I felt like it."

"Your training today will consist on how to care for your body," said the storm arcobaleno, pulling a sheet out from under the cot. The hitman hopped off the boy's back, and the martial artist threw the sheet over the surprised boy. "If one has gone under strenuous circumstances, one should allow his body to rest before continuing on as before."

"It wouldn't do for the future Vongola Decimo to wear out his body unnecessarily," said the sun arcobaleno.

"B-but Fon-sensei—" said the small brunette, lifting his head.

"Rest, and we will discuss the results of the lesson tomorrow morning," said the storm arcobaleno. Carefully, the storm arcobaleno placed a sleeping monkey on the boy's back. "You must learn this lesson well."

"If you move, I will make sure you do not go against your teachers' orders ever again," said the sun arcobaleno as he placed an unmoving green lizard on the boy's wild hair.

"B-but—" the boy started, but the sun arcobaleno sent the small brunette a dark glare.

"I could always shot you," said the hitman, the pistol back in his hand. The boy instantly stilled. "Good boy. Now close your eyes."

The wide brown eyes flickered to the storm arcobaleno, and the tiny marital artist nodded. Tsuna closed his eyes tightly and caused his face to scrounge up as if in pain. But soon the tightly closed eyes relaxed and the pinched expression on the small brunette's face was replaced by a loose calm.

"Thank you for bringing him here," whispered the storm arcobaleno. Lancia waited for the sun arcobaleno to reply, but the marital artist stared straight at the tall man.

"I did nothing to convince him to come here," said Lancia. The boy had decided to come here on his own, with a look that conveyed a deep underlining panic. Whatever Lancia thought about the boy's brother, the tall man hoped that the younger twin would get better soon.

"But you brought him here," said the martial artist, and Lancia heard approval in the tone.

"I could hardly have kept from following him here," said the tall man.

"Not everyone does what they should," said the martial artist. "At least I know that my student risked his life for a worthy cause."

Suddenly, Lancia realized that he had escaped a terrible fate. The wrath of one arcobaleno could cause even the most insane of men to turn into simpering mounds of flesh, but the wrath of two…The tall man could only be grateful to God that the arcobalenos had apparently approved of him. Otherwise, his life would not be worth a pane of non-bulletproof glass.

"Stay here," said the sun arcobaleno, Lancia's decision to obey not completely without fear.

"Going to check on your student?" asked the storm arcobaleno. "I'm sure with Shamal watching over him, he will be fine."

"If Shamal does what he needs to do," said the sun arcobaleno, a flash of dangerous irritation crossing the deceptively cute face, "the brat won't be up and about any time soon."

* * *

><p>Kyoko held tightly to the bag in her fists. She hadn't wanted to come disturb Tsuna-kun when he was still recovering, but Hana had insisted on checking on him and Haru had decided that she wanted to meet the boy Kyoko spoke so much about, and here they were in front of Tsuna-kun's house waiting for the door to open.<p>

"Oh, Hana-chan," said a woman whose smile bore a strong resemblance to the one that always made Kyoko blush. "You came to visit Tsu-kun, right? I'm sorry, but Tsu-kun slept over at Takeshi-kun's house yesterday, and he hasn't gotten back yet."

"So Takeshi dragged him over there then," said Hana with a pleased quirk of her lips. "Good. And what about the moronic monkey king?"

Kyoko stared at Hana, surprised by the tall girl's usage of Tamaki's nickname. Hana was always blunt and honest, but she never had turned that bluntness against an adult before. Hana knew when to be blunt and when to be respectful, and Kyoko could only wonder what Tsuna's mother had done to deserve Hana's disrespect.

"Tamaki is doing better," said the woman with a wide smile, as if she hadn't heard the disrespect. "Gokudera-kun brought over an excellent doctor to check on him, and the man insisted on staying overnight to make sure Tamaki was cured."

"So the moronic monkey king's better now," said the Hana. "Not that it really matters, but what was the problem."

"He had a special kind of disease," said the woman. She put a finger to her chin. "It had a strange name…"

"Familial Mediterranean Fever," said a rough voice behind Tsuna's mother. Gokudera came out from behind the woman and scowled. "What are you doing here, wench?"

"Only an idiot monkey would ask a question like that," said Hana, answering the scowl with a flat look. "The question is what are you doing here?"

"He's EXTREMELY keeping an eye on Sawada's injury!" The shout froze Kyoko. She really hoped that she had heard wrong and that her brother was not inside Tsuna-kun's house. An excited smiling face proved her wrong. "Eh? I didn't know you were here, Kyoko! Are you here to make up with your boyfriend?"

"Nii-san! Why are you here?" she asked, hoping that her brother hadn't done anything "extreme" in the house. She didn't think she could look Tsuna-kun in the face if Ryohei had gone off and tried to recruit Tsuna-kun for the boxing club or demanded a spar out of nowhere. That's why she hadn't told Ryohei that Tamaki wasn't her boyfriend anymore. Then Ryohei would drive Tamaki crazy instead of Tsuna-kun. And Tsuna-kun didn't need to know that she had such an embarrassing older brother. Kyoko loved Ryohei dearly, but he had scared more than one boy off with his "extremeness."

"I came to check up on my little brother," said the boxer. Kyoko clutched the bag harder and wanted to hide behind it. Ryohei had decided to adopt Tamaki after the first time the two met and teach the short brunette how to be extreme, even forcing his way into Tamaki's group. Not that Ryohei hung out very much with the group since they were all "unextreme," but he insisted that he would drag the short brunette away from the group and show Tamaki how to live to the extreme. The thought of Ryohei doing the same with Tsuna was exactly why Kyoko had kept the boxer away from the small brunette. "What do you extremely have there?"

"N-nothing," Kyoko said, hiding the bag behind her back.

"It's for Tsuna," said Hana. "And since he isn't here, we'll come back later."

"Hahi? Why couldn't we wait here? He has to come back from his friend's house soon, right?" asked Haru. Gokudera glared at her, and Haru blinked and then glared back. Kyoko wished she had her friend's courage.

"Who are you?" demanded Gokudera.

"I don't have to tell someone who's being rude," Haru said, puffing out her cheeks like she did when she was mad. "You must be the idiot monkey that Hana-chan says bothers Tsuna-kun so much."

"What did you say, stupid woman?" growled the teen.

"You heard me," huffed Haru grabbing Kyoko's hand. "Let's go find your Tsuna-kun, Kyoko-chan. Haru doesn't like hanging out with idiot monkeys."

"You're not going anywhere near Tsuna-sama!" yelled Gokudera, pulling sticks out of his pocket.

"I'm sure Tsuna would be very impressed with you blowing up a defenseless woman," said Hana, and the silver haired teen turned his glare at the tall girl and tucked the sticks back wherever they came from.

"Hey, are you guys planning a party or something?" asked Yamamoto, and the five at the door turned their gazes to the baseball player. "Can I help too?"

"W-we d-d—didn't mean to interrupt," said another voice and directing their attention to the figure standing beside Yamamoto.

"Tsuna-kun!" cried Kyoko, unable to stop herself as she saw that the small brunette was unharmed and standing nervously next to Yamamoto and in front of a tall man Kyoko had never seen before. Kyoko blushed as she noticed the thoughtful look the tall man was sending her. She quickly looked back at Tsuna who was smiling shyly at them.

"So you're Tsuna-kun," said Haru coming right up to Tsuna and looking him over closely. Tsuna was wearing an outfit that Kyoko had not seen on him, but then she barely saw him outside of school. She wanted to hang out with him and Hana, but he was always doing something with Yamamoto and Gokudera. And while Hana sometimes went with the three boys, Kyoko couldn't bring herself to intrude on the boys' activities. But she kind of wished she had. Tsuna-kun looked really good in that martial art uniform. "This uniform is so cool! Where'd you get it?"

"M-my s-sen—sensei gave it to m-me," mumbled Tsuna-kun shrinking under Haru's scrutiny.

"I love the stitching," said Haru circling the small brunette and making Tsuna stiff and fidgety. She grabbed the sleeve and rubbed the material between her fingers.

"Let go of Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera pulling out the sticks again.

"Haru doesn't listen to stupid monkeys," said Haru puffing out her cheeks again. The ponytailed brunette grabbed the sleeve harder, but she looked at her hand and suddenly let the sleeve go. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rumple Tsuna-kun's cool clothes!"

"I-it's o-okay," said Tsuna, not even bothering to straightening the sleeve.

"And who are you?" asked Yamamoto.

"Hahi? Oh, my name's Miura Haru. It's nice to meet you," said the bubbly brunette as she bobbed into a bow.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," said the baseball player with a grin. "You know Tsuna?"

"Huh? No," said Haru. "Kyoko-chan talks about him a lot, so I feel like I already know him."

"She must have talked about him a lot then," said Yamamoto as his grin shifted towards Kyoko. Kyoko blushed.

"A-are y-yo—you Kyoko's friend?" asked Tsuna.

"Haru and Kyoko are cake friends!" said the bubbly brunette, and Kyoko hoped the paper bag didn't rip under her fingernails.

"Cake friends?" scoffed Gokudera. The sticks were gone, probably put away as soon as Haru let go of Tsuna-kun. "What's that? Some stupid club?"

"It's not a stupid club! Haru and Kyoko go…admire cakes every month!" said Haru, barely pausing to keep from blurting out Kyoko's embarrassing cake addiction. "Every second Sunday of the month is Haru and Kyoko's Cake Day!"

"They met last month and have been meeting up every week since, though to hang out not go 'admire' cakes," said Hana. "Today was their cake day, and Haru insisted on coming with us afterwards to meet Tsuna."

"Haru wanted to meet Kyoko's Tsuna-kun!" the bubbly girl agreed, and Kyoko decided that she should have tried to keep Haru away from Tsuna like the light haired brunette did with Ryohei.

"Tsuna-sama is not that dumb girl's anything!" yelled Gokudera clenching his fists harder around the sticks and glaring at Haru again.

"You've returned!" said Ryohei breaking through Gokudera's glare and heading straight for Tsuna. "You took EXTREME care of your big brother!"

"M-m—my big brother?" said Tsuna.

"The normal Sawada would be EXTREMELY grateful if he was awake!" shouted the boxer, and Kyoko wished her brother wasn't so dense as to make glaring at him useless.

"Normal?" Tsuna mumbled, as if in shock.

"Sempai," said Yamamoto. "Tsuna's the older one."

Ryohei froze and stared at the baseball player. Finally, he unfroze.

"Fight me other Sawada," said Ryohei.

"Nii-san! You promised you wouldn't fight again," said Kyoko, getting in between the boxer and Tsuna-kun. How could this be happening?

"I'm EXTREMELY not," said Ryohei, getting past Kyoko and wrapping an arm around Tsuna's head. "I EXTREMELY want to spar one EXTREME martial artist to another!"

"I told you sempai," said Yamamoto, a wooden sword that he sometimes carried with him tapping against his shoulder. His hazel eyes had a hard gleam that usually was only for baseball. "You can't fight Tsuna until me and Tsuna finish our fight."

"I EXTREMELY have to spar with this Sawada," said Ryohei.

"Not until after our fight," said Yamamoto, his grin making his words a little less sharp. Why did Kyoko suddenly feel like Ryohei was in danger?

"S-sempai," gasped a voice, and the two turned to look at the turning blue Tsuna. "I-I c-can't b-breathe."

"I'm EXTREMELY sorry," said Ryohei, letting Tsuna go. Tsuna took deep breaths and waved off the boxer's apology.

"Did you stay at Tsuna's house last night, sempai?" asked Yamamoto.

"Like I would let Lawn Head stay the night at Tsuna-sama's house," grumbled Gokudera.

"I EXTREMELY came back this morning," said the boxer doing a fist pump.

"What is all the commotion out here?" asked a man in a white coat, coming out from inside the house. The man's eyes fell on Kyoko, bounced to Hana, and skittered onto Haru. The man grinned a bit too wide, like Mochida did whenever he decided to brush the back of his hand against Kyoko's back or grab her chin. Things like that had stopped when Tamaki had become strong and run around in his boxers. Tamaki, for all his demands, angry tirades, rough grabbing of her hand, and general overbearing demeanor, had never had that terrible look in his eyes. "And who are these cute honeys?"

"Did you do your job, Shamal?" demanded Gokudera, moving to stand in between the man and the girls.

"As if I could get away with not doing it with you and the world famous hitman breathing down my neck," grumbled the man, apparently the doctor Tsuna's mother had mentioned. "Now get out of the way, you're blocking the view."

"H-how's T-T—Tamaki-san?" asked Tsuna-kun. Kyoko smiled at the small brunette's cute stutter. She wondered why he was trying to stop it all of a sudden.

"Fine," said the doctor sullenly as Gokudera refused to move. "He was dying and now he's not."

"He was dying?" asked Hana, her eyebrows lifting and showing her disbelief. Kyoko's gaze flitted back to Tsuna's face. It was an unhealthy shade of white.

"He has Familial Mediterranean Fever," said the doctor trying to peer over the silver haired teen. Gokudera growled something that sounded like "mah-dreh," and the man straightened and looked straight at Tsuna. "It has gone untreated for too long and caused amyloidosis in his kidneys. Thankfully that only caused damage to the glomeruli and produced minimal change disease. With the proper treatment he should be fine, but the minimal change and amyloidosis had been about to progress and cause him to have Nephrotic syndrome. I prescribed him some corticosteroids. He has to be regular in taking them or else it could end in kidney failure, but he should be fine otherwise."

The teens stared at the doctor, and everyone's faces contained mix of confusion and shock. Kyoko had been staring at Tsuna-kun, so she saw his reaction best. His face had stretched taunt, shock plastering his face, and then it had sagged a dark pain entering his expressive brown eyes before they closed.

"But he'll be alright," whispered Tsuna-kun, his eyes still closed. The doctor stared at Tsuna-kun, and the man's gloomy and discomforting face softened into a reluctant understanding.

"I don't like treating men," said the doctor to the closed eyed Tsuna. "But when I treat someone, I do it right."

"S-so h-he'll b-be—"

"As I already said, he'll be fine," said the doctor. Tsuna's lips twitched upwards. Kyoko bit back a gasp as the lips spread into a wide grin that lit up the whole face. And then Tsuna's eyes opened, and Kyoko could not hold back her gasp.

"Thank you," said Tsuna, the bright grin blocking all thought from Kyoko's head. "Tamaki will be fine."

* * *

><p>Tamaki was grumpy, but he took the cup anyway. Nana's youngest had been stuck in his room for three days, so it was only natural he was a bit grumpy.<p>

"You can go now," said Tamaki dismissively. Nana grinned at his behavior. She continued to stand next to his bed and watch as he drank the cup. He glared at her and grunted. He stuck out the cup in her direction, and she took it without a word. Tamaki had taken his medicine, the fever had broken last night, and he would be alright. Nana went to the kitchen with a smile that only got wider as the front door opened to reveal her eldest.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun," said Nana as Tsu-kun smiled back at her. He did have a beautiful smile, and ever since the doctor had come and taken care of Tamaki, it had been brighter than usual. Gokudera and Takeshi entered behind Tsuna along with that man that had taken to following Tsuna everywhere. Reborn had said that the man had been sent to make sure that Tsuna didn't get lost on any more picnics. Nana understood that Tsuna had picked up the man wherever Tsuna had been when the small brunette had ended up in the hospital. She had not wanted to know more. Tsuna was safe, Tamaki was better, and their little family of three (sometimes four) would be alright. Reborn was friends with Iemitsu and had promised that nothing would happen to them, and so far the tutor had kept that promise.

But Nana had also made a promise to herself, to keep a better eye on her Tsu-kun in the future. She didn't want to miss anything important anymore. She didn't want her eldest to feel like he…like he had to be strong for her. Like he couldn't be like Tamaki too. She wanted her eldest to know he was hers too. She had thought he had known, but maybe since it had been so long since Iemitsu had been here, Tsuna had forgotten. But he didn't know, and there she had failed him. She had failed him so much. But she wouldn't do it again. She would show Tsuna to know how important he was to her. How sorry she was to have taken him so easily for granted. How she loved him. She would keep a better eye and make sure he knew and never forgot.

"Tsuna-哥哥'!" cried Fuuta from the kitchen where he had been helping her watch the food and keeping an eye on the front door. The small Italian boy had decided yesterday after going with Tsuna to Takesushi that he wanted to call Tsuna 哥哥' too, making Nana's eldest blush, and Nana had wanted to know why. When Tsuyoshi-san had explained to her that 哥哥' meant big brother, Nana had smiled. Tsuna had always been a wonderful big brother.

"I'm home," said Tsuna as the ten year old attacked the small brunette with a hug. Tsuna returned the hug hesitantly and looked at Nana over Fuuta's head. "How's Tamaki-san?"

"He's grumpy," said Nana. She held up the empty cup. "But he took all his medicine."

"Is he awake?" asked Tsuna. Nana nodded, and her eldest immediately headed up the stairs with Fuuta all but clinging to the small brunette. Tsuna stopped and turned to the two other boys following him.

"U-um, Takeshi, Gokudera, could you see if Mom needs help in the kitchen?" asked Tsuna.

"I could use some help deboning the fish we're having tonight and keeping an eye on the _kenchinjiru_," said Nana. Gokudera glared up the stairs but headed to the kitchen. Takeshi smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but Tsuna sent the taller brunette a pleading look, and the taller boy's smile disappeared before reappearing quickly as a grin.

"So what kind of fish is it?" asked the baseball player.

"Tuna," said Nana when she was sure the baseball player couldn't see Tsuna's expression. Her eldest pouted and huffed as he continued up the stairs. For the first time, Nana found herself wishing her husband wouldn't tease Tsuna so much. Lancia went up the stairs behind Tsuna, and Nana knew that both her boys would be fine.

The two boys in the kitchen had already set to do their chosen tasks. Gokudera was stirring the thick soup while Takeshi had set down the wooden sword that he carried everywhere nowadays and cut the salmon with a practiced precision. Tsuna had started to execute those same cuts when he fileted fish. All that time with Tsuyoshi-san had done her eldest good.

"Tsuna-sama's not an idiot," said Gokudera keeping his eyes on the soup. "He's going to notice soon."

"Notice what?" asked Takeshi removing the salmon's skeleton and cutting the meat into well sliced filets.

"You've been skipping baseball practices," said Gokudera. Nana moved in between the two boys to check on the rice. The kitchen was comfortably small with two boys in it. She wished there would be two more often.

"I don't have to go," said Takeshi. He threw the unwanted parts of the fish away. Nana handed him another two salmons, glad she had taken the salesman up on that special. She would have a full house for dinner again.

"He's not going to be happy when he finds out," said Gokudera, moving so that Nana could taste the _kenchinjiru_. It needed a little more flavor.

"Nope," said Takeshi with a grin. He made quick work of the second salmon. "He won't like it at all."

"Then why don't you go back?" asked Gokudera. Nana sprinkled some more black pepper into the vegetable soup and allowed Gokudera to continue to stir. The soup didn't need to be stirred anymore, but the silver haired teen seemed really focused on it, so Nana didn't want to stop him.

"I can't. I'm not on the baseball team anymore," said Takeshi. Nana's hand hovered over the pot's lid, and the woman found herself staring at the tall brunette boy, and from what she could see past the grinning boy, so was Gokudera. They stood like that for a minute as the tall brunette silently sliced the second salmon into the same sort of cuts as the first.

"You quit the baseball team," said Gokudera finally, his voice quieter than normal and his green eyes almost as wide as Tsuna's.

"Yep," said the baseball player, or rather former baseball player. "I wanted more time to learn with Dad."

"Idiot," grumbled Gokudera. The spoon stayed motionless in the soup. "You've been playing baseball and studying the sword. You didn't need to quit baseball."

"Tsuna's not studying anything besides his sensei's _Kaze Ryu_," said Takeshi, and Nana quickly remembered that the heat on the rice needed to be lowered. "And I couldn't have serious fight if I didn't do the same with the _Shigure Soen Ryu_."

"Tsuna-sama's Tsuna-sama. He wouldn't like you quitting baseball," said the silver haired teen stirring the soup once and then taking out the spoon.

"He wouldn't," said Takeshi, deboning the last fish. "But we can't always do what he likes. He needs to be able to trust us to back him up."

Gokudera grunted and tossed the spoon in the sink.

"Tell Tsuna-sama that I'll be back later," said Gokudera, leaving the kitchen. Apparently there would be one less person for dinner. Tamaki had been eating more so it was probably for the best. Nana wasn't used to cooking for so many people outside of helping occasionally with Tsuna's bentos and when Iemitsu came home.

"Here you go, Sawada-san," said Takeshi.

"Oh, Takeshi-kun, you don't have to call me that," said Nana. "Just call me Mama."

"You shouldn't worry about your age, Sawada-san," said Takeshi, rubbing the back of his head. "You look really young."

"Silly Takeshi. I'm not asking because it makes me feel old," said Nana. "I just want my son's best friend to call me that."

The hand froze and Takeshi's usually tan face turned a little red. Nana patted his head like she did to her two boys when they looked so cute.

"I don't think your mother would mind if it's just a nickname," said Nana quietly and a little regretfully as the hazel eyes flinched a bit. "And she was Mom, wasn't she?"

Takeshi nodded slightly, and Nana restrained herself from wrapping the boy in her arms. No child should be motherless at such a young age. She closed her eyes to fight back the thought that at least his mother had an excuse, and a fatherless child is equally sad.

"Mama should be okay," said Nana, as she opened her eyes again and gazed into darkened hazel eyes.

"Alright," said the former baseball player, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. His cheeks had that red tint again. "Mama."

Nana couldn't wait to tell Tsuyoshi-san what a cute picture his son could make. She wondered what kind of face Gokudera would make when she told him the same thing.

* * *

><p>Leaning against the wall, Tsuna kept himself from sliding onto the floor. He had gone up to check on Tamaki but his younger twin had all but thrown Tsuna out of the room. Tsuna had been happy to see that Tamaki had felt well enough to not want his older brother in the younger twin's room. Tamaki only let Tsuna stay when the younger twin was feeling really bad. Lancia had stayed quietly behind Tsuna, not so much as glaring at Tamaki, for which Tsuna was grateful. Not even Takeshi could have behaved so calmly in the face of an after fever Tamaki. Fuuta however had hidden behind Tsuna in terror. The ten year old had a strange fear of Tamaki, and Tsuna had taken the ten year old to Tsuna's room and shown the blonde boy his manga collection in hopes of calming Fuuta down. Fuuta had made all the manga float as he "ranked" them (Tsuna had freaked out the second time the younger boy had done this because the small brunette had realized that the boy was the one causing the strange phenomenon, and the freak out had earned Tsuna a kick from Reborn who was currently doing some errand elsewhere in Namimori), and then the boy had plopped down beside Tsuna's bed and opened the manga ranked #1, the one about the football running back that was Tsuna's favorite.<p>

After Fuuta had settled down, Tsuna had gone downstairs to see if his mom needed more help, but the unnatural quiet had stopped him from entering the kitchen. He had expected his mother to be humming or Gokudera and Takeshi to be talking (or rather arguing). They had been getting along better since the silver haired teen had been caught swearing lifetime loyalty to Tsuna, which still caused an uneasy feeling to turn Tsuna's stomach but the small brunette couldn't bring himself to ask Gokudera to take it back. He feared that the bomber would misunderstand and take the first plane back to Italy. The point was that with how loud Gokudera was and how chatty his mother was (even when Tsuna didn't want her to be), Tsuna hadn't expected silence in the kitchen. And then Gokudera had whispered the sentence that had Tsuna struggling to remain upright. Takeshi quit baseball.

In the last few months, Takeshi had sometimes skipped baseball practice to hang out with Tsuna, or to help Yamamoto-san in the shop on really busy days. Tsuna had helped out too, enjoying making sushi beside his best friend and his best friend's father. But Tsuna had always felt bad that his friend was missing out on the sport Takeshi loved so much. And now…

Gokudera left the kitchen in a hurry, and Tsuna stayed as close to the wall as he could so that the bomber wouldn't see him. The bomber exited the house without noticing Tsuna or Lancia, who had stood quietly in the corner between the stairs and the bathroom. The bomber's single minded determination vaguely worried Tsuna, but the small brunette's mind still reeled at the thought of Takeshi quitting baseball. Sure, the baseball player had skipped practices the last few days, but Tsuna had figured that maybe Takeshi was a bit worried about Tsuna "running off again," as Hana put it. Tsuna had felt guilty about it, but the small brunette had thought that Takeshi would calm down eventually and return to baseball practice.

Tsuna held onto the wall, still feeling his feet slipping. The conversation in the kitchen continued, but Tsuna couldn't concentrate on it further than to think that his mother was indulging in one of her strange habits. Tsuna needed to tell Takeshi to leave, to go back to Takesushi, and never ever speak to Tsuna or his family again. Because then the taller brunette wouldn't give up his beloved baseball for his father's sword.

"It's good that he has given up baseball," said Lancia, and Tsuna nearly narrowed his eyes at the man. Lancia had no idea what baseball meant to Takeshi. How it helped the taller teen remember his mother who only ever got visibly excited about the NPB and the Climax Series. Takeshi treasured those memories with his mother open and smiling. Tsuna had seen the pictures of the long black haired woman with a grin as large as her husband's and son's cheering the Tokyo Swallows onto victory. Takeshi had declared his dream to be a professional baseball player for the Swallows the same day the pictures had been taken.

"He shouldn't…It's his dream," said Tsuna quietly, bowing his head to hide his eyes from the man. "Takeshi loves baseball."

"A sport is not worth a man's life," said the man equally quiet. Tsuna couldn't bring himself to look at the man again. This was all Tsuna's fault. Tsuna should have never allowed Hibari to go fight. The small brunette should have stopped the prefect even if by force. Hibari might have gotten a few nicks and bruises, but the prefect might have listened, been held off for a while longer so that Reborn could have taken care of it. Tsuna should have known that he couldn't have kept his hospital stay a secret. And that Takeshi and the others would…would…like with Gokudera…

"Hey, Tsuna. How's your brother?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna looked up and found himself staring, trying to figure out what the taller teen could be thinking.

"Why?" asked Tsuna, his voice so soft that he could barely hear it. The baseball player (Tsuna refused to think of Takeshi as anything else) dropped the grin that was the taller teen's default, an expression that displayed nothing but pleasure with everyone and everything. His hazel eyes sharpened, and the new expression scared Tsuna with its fierceness. The small brunette had seen that expression, but it had never been directed at the small brunette before.

"I want to finish our fight, Tsuna," said Takeshi. "And I don't want you to hold back."

"W-what?" stammered Tsuna. Both Yamamoto-san and Fon had agreed to delay the two teen's fight for another month, to judge their development then since the first attempt had gone on long enough to accurately judge their current progress. "W-why?"

"To answer your question," said Takeshi, his grin back on his face. "We'll fight three days from now alright?"

"B-but what about Fon-sensei and Yamamoto-san?"

"Dad knows I wanted this, and I don't think Fon would mind."

"B-but—"

"Tsuna," said Takeshi. That expression flashed across his face. "Fight me."

"O-okay," said Tsuna, unable to stop himself. He didn't understand. How would a spar answer Tsuna's question? And what about baseball? Suddenly a thought struck Tsuna, and he pushed himself off the wall and stared straight into the bright hazel eyes. The warmth began to hum under his skin. "On one condition."

"Sure," said Takeshi, his eyes narrow despite the grin decorating his face.

"When I win, you return to the baseball club," said Tsuna, and Takeshi's eyes smiled.

"All right."


	26. Break to Heal

Chapter 26: _Break to Heal_

A hard slash downward, two more to the right, and a last diagonally upward. The combo was executed with less wasted movement and more speed than yesterday. Not that Tsuyoshi was surprised. Tsuyoshi leaned against the tree at the edge of the clearing in Namimori forest and watched the young swordsman execute Shigure Soen Ryu's eighth form. After announcing that the fight with Tsuna was going to be in three days, Takeshi had thrown himself full force into training and had yet to stop. Usually, Tsuyoshi would pull his son back and make the boy rest, but the experienced swordsman knew how difficult the battle would be for the boy.

It hadn't taken long after the two boy's first fight to realize how advanced Tsuna had gotten. The way the small brunette had taken out the men that had attacked Nakamori's class had contrasted greatly with how he had fought Takeshi. At the time, Tsuyoshi had been too proud of his son's growth and impressed by the three teen's (even Gokudera's) synchronization as they fought together to see what should have been obvious. Tsuna had grown in leaps and bounds and far outclassed Takeshi. The small brunette had not used half his skill in the fight with Takeshi, and from what Fon had told the sushi chef afterwards, Tsuna hadn't used his full skill on the thugs either. Fon had implied that even he wasn't sure of the small brunette's true skill, since Tsuna held back against anything living and some things that weren't. The small brunette's growth curve was incredible, and Tsuna was, in Takeshi's words, "scary." And while the control the small brunette held over his strength was commendable, Tsuyoshi had seen such control destroy men. The man knew that Tsuna's hesitation would end up injuring the boy more than any enemy could, and given what Tsuyoshi had observed, the small brunette would have plenty of those. The sun arcobaleno's continued presence indicated as much.

The famous hitman had barely left the small brunette's side (or rather head) the last few days. Whether or not the younger Sawada was recovering from an illness, the heir to the mafia's most influential and strongest family should take the number one slot on the hitman's list, but instead the hitman had decided to spend his time observing Tsuna. Tsuyoshi allowed himself to smirk at the thought that had the hitman actually been the age he appeared, the sushi chef would have had no problem saying that the hitman had been clinging to Tsuna exactly like I-pin and Lambo. However, the hitman was much too mature to do that, and if Tsuyoshi said that about the hitman, the man would have to say the same of his old friend. Fon had barely been five feet from Tsuna whenever the boy entered the shop. Perhaps the two were having issues deciding territorial rights. The man's smirk melted into a frown. Tsuna had no idea how many people would break if the small brunette got himself killed. So Tsuyoshi would have to make sure the small brunette wouldn't.

Tsuyoshi fingered the object in his pocket and pulling it out. The platinum emblem glittered in the moonshine, the slight purple shine catching the experienced swordsman by surprise as always. He stared at it and turned it over and over in his hand, as he had several times over the years. A large circle encircled two smaller ones, and inside the smallest circle was a detailed etching of a feather whose barb pierced through the circles and seemed to burst into flames at the end. Tsuyoshi's great uncle had placed the emblem in Tsuyoshi's hands and made Tsuyoshi swear in blood (only a drop, but blood nonetheless) that Tsuyoshi would keep the secret of the emblems. The other two had been given under less intense circumstances (the one Takeshi had was a gift from Tsuyoshi's father on Tsuyoshi's twenty first birthday and Tsuna's had been found in a box of Tsuyoshi's grandfather's old mementos). But the emblems all shared the same secret as this one, the secret Tsuyoshi's great uncle had whispered on his death bed and that Tsuyoshi had planned one day to share with Takeshi and Tsuna. The day had come sooner than he had planned, but he had to do it now. Or he might never get to tell them.

"Takeshi, come here," said Tsuyoshi. When his son's normally bright eyes turned to him with a determined fierceness, Tsuyoshi knew he would not be able to back out of his decision. Bringing the Shigure Kintoki down to his side in one elegant (and more importantly efficient) downward stroke, Takeshi walked over to the edge of the clearing where Tsuyoshi had been standing.

"Am I doing something wrong?" asked Takeshi. Tsuyoshi grinned at his son's eagerness to improve.

"No. I have something to show you," said Tsuyoshi, dangling the emblem from its purple band.

"Uncle Komadori's emblem?" said Takeshi rubbing the back of his head.

"Not exactly," said the man. He closed his eyes and focused just like Uncle Komadori had instructed. Tsuyoshi had to picture what he most wanted to do. Takeshi smiled in Tsuyoshi's mind, the same smile that Tsuyoshi had given up hope would return to his son's face until Takeshi had dragged a brown haired boy to Takesushi. The image changed to two boys laughing as they worked side by side to help Tsuyoshi fill several orders of sushi, and the emblem burned under his hand. Tsuyoshi opened his eyes and held up the purple flame wrapped emblem. "This."

"Wow Dad, I didn't know you could do magic," said Takeshi, his eyes glued to the purple flame.

"I can't," said Tsuyoshi, amused by his son's reaction. Mako would have reacted the same way. "This is the emblem's secret."

The boy's hazel eyes grew sharp as they scanned the object again. Takeshi had wondered about the secret ever since he first saw the emblems when he was three, but Tsuyoshi could see that Takeshi currently cared less for the secret and more for how it could help in his fight with Tsuna.

"It's not a pretty light show," said Tsuyoshi, not allowing Takeshi to lose interest. "The flame indicates power of some sort. It was made for your ancestor about 400 years ago. The one you have was made for your other ancestor, the one your grandfather often said looked like you. The two are part of a set of seven. Your ancestors and their closest friends did a favor for the greatest inventor of their time. And he gave them these _Augurio_."

"_Augurio_?" asked Takeshi, his tone demanding an explanation. Takeshi must be more worried about the match than Tsuyoshi had guessed.

"It's meant to give the user one 'wish,' but the user must make the right kind of wish," said Tsuyoshi.

"What kind of wish?"

"I don't know," said Tsuyoshi, grinning as he scratched the back of his head. Tsuyoshi had asked the same question to his great uncle and had received the same answer. All the man knew for certain was that the wish could not be to heal the fatally ill or poisoned nor to bring that person back to life. He tossed the emblem at Takeshi who caught it in his free hand with ease. "The creator never told them how the wishes work. He told them that they might be of some use to the man's descendants as well as his companions' if the wish meets the proper requirements. Guess now's a good a time as any to see if it'll work."

The younger swordsman nodded, understanding that he would need any help he could get to fight Tsuna.

"Your great great uncle did find out one thing," said Tsuyoshi, making sure his son's eyes were on him before continuing. "In order to use the _Augurio_, the person must picture what he most wants to do."

In an instant, the emblem blazed purple-tinged blue. Tsuyoshi blinked, but then grinned proudly. His son would figure out how to use the _Augurio_.

* * *

><p>Taking gulping breaths, Tsuna flipped back and then immediately jumped forward. He kicked, twisted to the left, and then stopped in attack stance number four, legs apart, body resting on the left leg, right arm extended, and left arm low and pulled back. The weights on his arms nearly made his arms fall from their places, but he ignored the burning ache and suppressed the tremors. Fon leapt in front of the small brunette and passed a critical eye over the stance.<p>

"Again," said the martial artist. Tsuna's whole body wanted to slump under the word, but Tsuna held himself ramrod straight as he executed an affirming bow. He leapt into the air and used the height to do a spin kick at an imaginary opponent, and then flip off the opponent (who had now taken the form of a wall) and then twist to avoid the possible countering blow. He landed on his hands, and ignoring his breathing this time, quickly flipped back and then jumped forward to catch the approaching opponent off guard. He kicked the opponent again, and twisted to the left to avoid another blow, before the imaginary opponent surrendered. Tsuna froze in attack stance number four which would have countered the imaginary opponent's next blow. Fon inspected the stance, and Tsuna made sure to stay firm but loose as Fon had often instructed. The wind must be able to fly off from whatever position.

"Again."

Tsuna executed the bow again, stiffer this time, and proceeded to do the attack pattern for the eleventh time. He kept in mind that he had to do this perfectly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to give Takeshi back baseball.

"Again."

Tsuna complied the twelfth time, letting his body do more and more of the work while his mind tried to separate itself from his body's growing discomfort. Another scarcely heard "again," and Tsuna went into the set a thirteenth time. Each move had to engrave itself into his body. Tsuna had to stay longer in the air, less on the ground. He loved the air. He could move in any direction, do anything while he was in the air.

"Tsuna," said a firm voice as Tsuna realized he was once again in attack stance number four. Fon's face smiled. "This particular set is better if you stay low to the ground."

"Yes, sensei," said Tsuna, his cheeks burning. How could he have become distracted when Takeshi's dream was in danger? Tsuna took a deep breath and leapt towards the wall.

"You're not as soft on him as I thought," said Reborn, and Tsuna tried to keep his focus from wandering. But who knew what thoughts that demon might be infecting Tsuna's sensei with. Fon had never gone easy on Tsuna, but who knew what the demon tutor might convince the martial artist to do. Tsuna shook his head slightly to rid himself of the needless worry. Tsuna knew Fon well enough to know that the martial art master could not be manipulated so easily.

"He does not need me to be," answered Fon. "The problem has always been getting him to stop me from going too far."

"If only my student had the same problem," said Reborn. Even though Tsuna was in the middle of his flip and could not see the hitman, the small brunette knew that the hitman was wearing a scowl. Tamaki didn't like working hard, but he could if he applied himself. And now that the constant threat of the fever was gone, maybe Tamaki would do better. Tsuna twisted into the fourth stance with a little more flourish than necessary before remembering what he was training for. He firmed his stance and shifted his weight more towards the ground. Fon stood inspecting the stance, but before the martial artist said a word, Fon quickly dashed to a corner and hid his presence so well that Tsuna could barely sense the martial artist. "Still hiding from him, I see."

Tsuna would have asked who "him" was, but the answer burst into the dojo a second later. Hibari glared at Tsuna. The small brunette wondered if he could find a way to ask his mother how to get bloodstains out of wood later without worrying her.

"Good afternoon, Hibari," said Tsuna. He kept his feet firmly on the ground and kept from stepping backwards. The steel eyed stare had every fight or flight instinct and the heat agreeing that Tsuna should run. But Tsuna couldn't. Not with his sensei standing in a corner watching. He didn't want Fon to think the time the martial art master had invested in the small brunette had produced a coward.

"Fight me," said Hibari. Tsuna gulped and fell into attack stance number two. He pushed his right foot too far forward and ended up on his back. So much for showing Fon that the martial artist's time wasn't wasted. Tsuna yelped as Hibari grabbed the small brunette by the collar and dragged Tsuna upright.

"P-please wait, Hibari," said Tsuna as Hibari let go of the back of Tsuna's shirt. "I-I can't fight you at full strength right now."

"But you'll fight the other herbivore," said Hibari. Tsuna would have been surprised that Hibari knew about Tsuna's upcoming fight with Takeshi, but considering the smirk on the demon's face, Tsuna figured that Reborn had made sure that information reached Hibari's ears. Apparently the demon wanted Tsuna dead so as to take care of the Vindice problem. The heat flared in disagreement, and Tsuna's own mind didn't seem pleased with the thought. But the demon was certainly up to something.

"Yes," said Tsuna. "But I haven't forgotten my promise. I will fight you, Hibari."

"You will, herbivore," said Hibari. Tsuna smiled a little despite the exhaustion that would no longer allow his muscles to move properly. The prefect scanned the dojo.

"Do you need something else, Hibari?" asked Tsuna. The small brunette didn't know exactly why Fon was hiding from Hibari, but he would respect his sensei's wishes. Tsuna had noticed that Hibari and Fon resembled each other, but Tsuna had been afraid to ask why. Hibari would no doubt bite Tsuna to death for prying into the prefect's personal affairs (and Tsuna _knew_ that their fights would be more intense if Hibari knew who Tsuna's sensei was). Fon might have told Tsuna, but...Tsuna had spoken about Hibari to the martial artist many times. And the martial artist had listened with a blankness in his black eyes that Tsuna had come to associate with regret and guilt. Tsuna did not want to cause his sensei more pain by asking about Hibari. Instead, Tsuna had made sure to talk about his fights with Hibari often and tell Fon what foods Hibari did and didn't eat from Tsuna's bentos. Anything to trade the blankness for the amused glint that usually made its home in the martial artist's eye when Tsuna talked to Fon.

"When is it?" said Hibari. Tsuna's mouth dropped open slightly before Tsuna was able to close it tight. Hibari wanted to see the fight?

"Two days from now," said Tsuna. Hibari didn't nod, but Tsuna knew he'd be there. The prefect walked out, as if he hadn't barged in ready to kill Tsuna (or rather bite him to death). He paused at the door, and the yellow bird from earlier landed on the prefect's shoulder. "Tell your sensei to stop hiding. It doesn't become a carnivore."

In an instant, the prefect was gone. Fon appeared from his corner with a soft, calm smile as he gazed out the door. Reborn scoffed.

"Quite the nephew you have," said the hitman.

"Yes," said Fon. "Quite."

* * *

><p>Gokudera leaned against the tree as the stupid wench made herself comfortable on a swing. Neither of the two fighters had come, but they were about fifteen minutes early and Tsuna-sama could come whenever he wanted. The sword freak better not keep Tsuna-sama waiting though.<p>

"So you've found yourself a master or whatever too," said the stupid wench, giving him a long look. Gokudera glared at her, but she failed to get the message as usual. "It's a good thing, I suppose. Otherwise, I doubt you could keep up with those two."

"Watch your mouth, wench," growled Gokudera. He knew he would never reach Tsuna-sama's level, but he would not be outdone by the sword freak. That's why the bomber had stooped so low as to seek help from the perverted doctor. The pervert had refused to teach Gokudera anything though, even under the threat of _Madre_. But that was fine. Gokudera had done fine by himself until this point, and he would become a man worthy of Tsuna-sama's trust. To make up for the Shamal's refusal, Gokudera had thrown himself twice as hard into his training and come up with a new attack strategy that should work once he figured out exactly what was need to act as conduit for the Flames (as Shoichi had decided to call the energy that the Boxes used).

"You guys are already here," said the sword freak as he walked into the shabby little park. He grinned and waved. "Thanks for coming."

"I assume there's a reason for the suddenness of this," said the stupid wench. "Last time we had a week's heads up."

"There is," said the sword freak, the grin dropping and hardness overcoming the usually ridiculously cheerful features. "Tsuna doesn't know why I quit baseball."

The stupid wench's eyes widened, but she regained control of herself and nodded.

"Tsuna needs more supervision than we have been giving him," said the stupid wench. "Baseball will keep until he's gotten past the point where we need to watch his every move."

"Tsuna's Tsuna," said the sword freak. He slung his sword onto his shoulder and grinned. A bright charm hung from a purple band that was wrapped around the sword's hilt. What kind of swordsman decorated his sword? "And I like the Shigure Soen Ryu."

The stupid wench scoffed and muttered something that sounded like "stupid monkeyish boys," but her lips twisted into a small smile.

"Sorry I'm late," said Tsuna-sama as he ran into the park.

"It was my fault," said Fon as he leapt off the small brunette's shoulder. "I meant to have him here earlier, but his training this morning required more than I thought."

"Hmph. If Dame-Tsuna had used the glasses properly, we would have been here fifteen minutes early," said Reborn as he jumped from his perch on Tsuna-sama's head. The hitman had all but claimed the small brunette's head as his personal seat since the small brunette had come home from the hospital. Gokudera had been torn between being impressed by Tsuna-sama's ability to catch the hitman's attention and fear of what such attention meant. But the contrast between the hitman's behavior to Tsuna-sama and Reborn's treatment of the small brunette's brother had eased Gokudera's mind into proud approval. Of course Tsuna-sama had caught the attention of the greatest hitman in the world.

"You're a minute late," said the stupid wench. "That doesn't merit an apology."

"It's disrespectful to be even a minute late to a prearranged fight," said Tsuna-sama, giving his sensei a side glance. Fon smiled softly as he nodded.

"A mafia boss should never be late for anything," said Reborn. The small brunette's whole body groaned.

"I told you I'm not going to be the Vongola Decimo," said Tsuna-sama. "That's Tamaki's place."

"And I told you that no one lies to the Vindice," said the hitman. Gokudera stiffened and felt his face become unhealthily cool. If Gokudera had been with Tsuna-sama, the bomber might have been able to stop the small brunette from making such a potentially deadly mistake. Gokudera ignored the twinge of excitement at the prospect of Tsuna-sama becoming the Vongola tenth. The cost of such a dream coming true would be too high. With the Vindice, Tsuna-sama may not escape from becoming the Vongola Decimo, but Gokudera would do whatever possible to keep Tsuna-sama from that fate.

"Now, now," said the sword freak. "We can talk about the mafia game later."

"It's not a game, sword freak!" yelled Gokudera, his face heating with anger. How could the sword freak continue to hold that ridiculous belief? The sword freak would be useless to Tsuna-sama with those idiotic thoughts, and since Tsuna-sama relied on the other teen so much…

"Gokudera," said a soft voice, and Gokudera stood as straight as he could as he faced Tsuna-sama. "Please don't call Takeshi that."

Gokudera scowled. He knew that it was his own fault that idiot had most of Tsuna-sama's favor, but the bomber could not help the anger that built every time that favor became obvious.

"Well, he can't call him 'baseball idiot' now, can he?" said the stupid wench, and Tsuna-sama's eyes shone orange.

"After our fight," said the small brunette firmly. "He will."

The warmth on his cheeks cooled the rest of his cheeks down. He had misunderstood the small brunette's plea. The bomber should have realized that Tsuna-sama wouldn't want the sword freak to give up baseball. But Gokudera understood the former baseball idiot's decision. The sword freak and the bomber wanted the same thing.

"Ha ha, we'll see," said the sword freak. He swung his sword down hard enough for it to become a steel katana. Shoichi would want to examine the strange changeable sword when he returned. The young inventor had yet to answer Gokudera's last email detailing what had gone on between Tsuna-sama and Mukuro and the moronic imitation's sickness. Despite the distance, Shoichi had wanted to be kept informed of how Tsuna-sama and the others were doing, and even when Gokudera had been blind to the small brunette's greatness, the bomber had sent the inventor reports on the small brunette's status along with a sentence or two about the wench and the sword freak. Tsuna-sama also asked often after Shoichi, despite the fact that the small brunette thought the inventor too busy to want emails from Tsuna-sama. The bomber had tried to inform the small brunette the opposite was true, but the small brunette had only smiled and shook his head in disbelief. Gokudera had to restrain the urge to blast the moronic imitation to kingdom come every time Tsuna-sama put on that expression, and instead had read each email from the inventor to the eagerly listening brunette.

"Where's your father?" asked Fon, moving to stand in between the sword freak and Tsuna-sama.

"He has to run the shop today," said the sword freak. "But he expects you to inform him of everything when you return."

"Fair enough," said the martial art master. He lifted a hand, and Tsuna-sama quickly fell into a basic attack stance.

"Wait," said the sword freak, standing in an almost casual manner. "I told you Tsuna. I don't want you to hold back."

"I won't," said Tsuna-sama.

"Then where are your glasses?" asked the sword freak. Glasses? Tsuna-sama didn't need glasses. And hadn't Reborn said something about them as well…?

"I am not used to them yet," said the small brunette. "At practice this morning, I nearly tore down the wall and injured myself in the process."

The sword freak frowned.

"Put them on," he said in as close to a growl as the cheerful idiot had ever gotten.

"No," said Tsuna-sama. "I am not ready to use them yet."

"Then I will make you use them," said the sword freak and rushed forward, not waiting for the signal. Tsuna blocked the incoming sword and pushed forward to strike the sword freak's shoulder. The sword freak leaned to the side and avoided the gloved hand before letting go of his sword. Tsuna-sama's eyes widened, and the sword freak used the momentary shock to push the sword into the small brunette's shoulder. The sword slipped through the gloved hand's grip, but Tsuna-sama let go of the sword and ducked under it. The sword freak wasted no time in grabbing the sword and swinging it down. The small brunette flipped close to the ground and past the swordsman's side, narrowly avoiding the sword.

Tsuna-sama stood in time to flip backwards and dodge another sword thrust. He made to grab the swordsman's shoulders, but the swordsman slashed diagonally upward, quickly changing hands and therefore the angle, and forced Tsuna-sama to spin in order to avoid the blade. Tsuna-sama landed and immediately had to duck another sword slash. The small brunette did a low kick, and the sword freak stepped back. Tsuna-sama stopped the kick abruptly and pressed the foot on the ground, using the momentum to come in from underneath and strike the swordsman's sword hand. The sword freak switched the blade from hands and swung it down onto Tsuna who grabbed the swordsman's now free arm and twisted out of the swords way, taking the arm with him and unbalancing the swordsman. But the sword freak planted his feet firmly on the ground and changed the direction of the sword. Gokudera automatically reached for his pocket as blood stained a blue sleeve.

"Tsuna," said the swordsman, and Gokudera wanted to rip the sword freak apart. How dare the sword freak injure Tsuna-sama? "You're not fighting seriously."

"I am," said the small brunette. Neither moved, the sword still caught on the bleeding arm. Gokudera could tell, even from this distance, that the wound wasn't deep. It wasn't shallow, but it wasn't deep. But it could easily become so.

"You're not," said the sword freak, withdrawing his bloodied sword. The grip on the sword's handle was chalk white. "I will not fight someone who refuses to take me seriously."

"I…I am—"

"You're not," the sword freak growled. "You wouldn't protect an opponent you took seriously from himself. My sword would not have hurt me."

Tsuna-sama remained silent, his back to the sword freak's.

"I won't fight you until you take me seriously," said the sword freak, the white grip shaking. "And I don't want to see you until then."

The small brunette spun around and stared at the sword freak's back in horror. Tsuna-sama reached out a hand.

"Tsuna," the sword freak said, his tone low and harsh. The hand hesitated. Dark hazel eyes glared at Tsuna over the swordsman's shoulder. "Go."

"T-Takeshi," said the small brunette.

"No," the swordsman said, looking away. "Don't talk to me until you are ready to finish our fight."

The hand dropped, and identical expressions of pain painted the two faces, despite the fact that neither could see the other's. Gokudera's anger at the sword freak disappeared. Tsuna-sama opened his mouth, but he closed it again. Light caught in the brown eyes before they disappeared under a curtain of brown hair.

"Okay," the small brunette whispered. Tsuna-sama stepped back and hesitated. The eyes stayed hidden behind the hair, but the hand that had fallen twitched upward as if to make another attempt to grasp the swordsman's shoulder. In a blur of movement, the small brunette turned and ran out of the park.

"I apologize for my student," said Fon with a bow to the sword freak's back. The sword freak didn't make any movement to acknowledge the martial artist's words. Fon left, and Gokudera realized that Reborn had disappeared too. The stupid wench stared at the park's entrance. She sighed.

"I'd like to tell you that you didn't need to do that, that you're both acting like monkeys," said the stupid wench, still looking at the park entrance. "But only one of you is acting like a monkey, and it's not you."

"I hate to agree with the stupid wench, but she's right," said Gokudera in a grumble. The hazel eyes lifted from their empty stare to look at them. The bomber pushed back the stupid desire to have the idiot grin and remark that the apocalypse must be closer because the bomber had agreed with the stupid wench again. "The moronic imitation has had fourteen years to warp the greatness that is Tsuna-sama."

"The idiot monkey has a point despite his ridiculous wording," said the stupid wench. Gokudera bit tongue to keep from yelling at the wench. He never used "ridiculous wording." "'Unwarping' what's been 'warped' might hurt now, but in the long run, it will work better than leaving it as it is. Tsuna's not an idiot, even if he does occasionally act like it. He will understand."

"As if there was any doubt," said the bomber as the darkness faded from the heavy hazel eyes. A weak semblance of a grin crossed the former baseball player's face.

"Tsuna is pretty smart."

"Don't make me take back the 'only one of you' comment," said the stupid wench. The weak grin stretched into one that almost matched the idiot's annoyingly cheerful one.

"I guess I'll just have to wait then," the sword freak said. He stared at the red-stained sword, and the grin strained at the corners. "And I better get stronger, or Tsuna'll wipe the floor with me."


	27. Explanations

Chapter 27: _Explanations_

Speeding past his mother and Lancia (who had stayed behind because Tsuna had asked him to watch over Tsuna's mother and brother and Fuuta, who still refused to leave the man's side), Tsuna ran up the stairs and locked the door to his room. He stood staring at his room, his breath scrapping the sides of his throat as it constricted. He tried to ignore the panic, to stop it. His mother might knock on the room, wondering why he had run in without his usual greeting. She would ask why he wasn't out playing with his friends. And she would hear the tightness of his words. And she wouldn't believe his excuses. And she would worry. And…and…

"Tsuna, would you please let me in," said a soft voice. Tsuna stiffened. He couldn't face Fon. Not now, not when Tsuna had failed his sensei so completely. One glance at the open window and Tsuna decided he couldn't stay here. With a reckless regard for his well-being, he ran towards the window and leapt out of the room. He landed in a crouch and ran as fast as he could. Wetness trailed down his cheeks, and he dashed into the school. He could sense Hibari, but Tsuna ignored the prefect and ran for the crack in the school's wall. He squeezed through and stumbled into the small gap. He fell forward, and his hands scrapped against the cement as they stretched out and failed to catch him. Red colored the palms as Tsuna brought them up to his face. He couldn't see anything besides the color. Everything was too blurry. But he was here, so it didn't matter.

A hiccup broke through his lips, and then another as the blurriness obscured his vision completely. Sobs echoed through the place. He curled into a ball and tried to keep the sound contained. Even though this place had never betrayed him, he couldn't be sure no one would find him here. A warmth surrounded him as it always did. Not the heat that simmered under Tsuna's skin. This one was different, and it surrounded him from outside. He lifted his head and let it touch his flushed cheeks as he let his chin rest on his knees. The warmth cooled his cheeks, and the sobs stifled into sniffles.

"_I haven't seen him!_" yelled a frantic voice with a musicality that sounded familiar. Was that Dino-sensei?

"_He came in this direction,"_ said an oddly deep but still high-pitched voice. So Reborn was looking for Tsuna. The hitman must have been near the window in Tsuna's room when Tsuna jumped. Reborn wasn't the kind to use doors.

"_I haven't seen either of my little bros since Mukuro—"_

"_I don't want your excuses," _said Reborn harshly. Tsuna must be hearing things, because the small brunette thought he heard worry in the hitman's voice. _"Get your men together and find him."_

"_Got it!"_ the blonde man nearly shrieked. A small smile tugged on Tsuna's lips.

"You do realize they're speaking Italian," said a new voice. "But don't worry, I'll keep translating for you."

"HIIE!" screeched Tsuna as fell back in surprise. A man with white hair and brown eyes smiled at the fallen brunette. Fon would be disappointed further that Tsuna hadn't noticed the man earlier. The man put a finger to his lips and pointed with his other hand to where the crack should be. Tsuna gazed at the man, a strange familiarity niggling in the back of his mind. He knew this man. The urgency in the second voice brought Tsuna's attention back to the conversation.

"…_so he's got to be on the school grounds then?"_ asked Dino in a strained voice, as if he wanted to bolt at the first opportunity.

"_Don't make me repeat myself, stupid student,"_ said Reborn. A muffled shriek followed and slowly faded as the source of the shriek got farther away.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting conversation," said the man. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"U-um, w-who a-are y-you?" asked Tsuna.

"I'm Kawahira," said the man, opening a door that had not been there before. Or it had been there? "Come in."

Kawahira held up a hand, beckoning Tsuna to follow the man. Tsuna went through the door, and his eyes filled with the sight of a huge but cluttered room. Antique furniture from both Japan and the west formed a maze that was lit by various types of lamps. Kawahira maneuvered through the labyrinth with practiced ease, and Tsuna stuck close to the man in order to keep from getting lost. A hand ruffled his hair. "You won't get lost here. I won't let you."

Taking his hand off Tsuna's head, Kawahira led Tsuna past the different furniture and to a steel door. The man opened it and pushed Tsuna into a much less cluttered room. In the center of the room, a glass enclosed table stood with several gemstone figurines reflected on its surface from their perches on the two clear stands. In between the two stands, a coiled orange dragon roared, and Tsuna moved automatically closer to it.

"He's injured," said Kawahira.

"Why?" asked Tsuna. The anguish on the dragon's face echoed itself in the brunette's own heart, as if the pain was so great that Tsuna could feel it from the other side of the glass.

"His former owner betrayed him and left him encased in that sunstone, and his promised owner cannot take him," said the man, putting a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and steering the boy away from the display. "The kitchen's this way."

Tsuna pulled away from the man and took a step back, far enough away to avoid the man's grasp.

"Who are you?" asked Tsuna.

"I already told you, I'm Kawahira," said the white haired man. Tsuna didn't know a Kawahira, but this man felt familiar. The man reached out and patted Tsuna's head again. "You shouldn't ask a man who's known you six years to keep repeating his name."

"S-six y-years?" said Tsuna, his face heating as the thought clicked in his head. "Then you—"

"I have been watching you visit my side yard for the last six years. I would have come up and said hello, but you seemed so shy that I didn't want to frighten you away. I rarely entertain company as good as yours."

The small brunette his behind his hair, but the man bent down to lock gazes with the boy.

"I should have introduced myself earlier. I apologize. Do you forgive me?"

Still blushing, Tsuna nodded. He didn't want to think about all this man had heard from Tsuna's once daily visits, but…this man had probably been the reason Tsuna had kept returning to that small space. Even now, Tsuna could sense this man's aura, his presence, protecting Tsuna somehow. Still, that sensation didn't block out the fact that this man had no doubt seen Tsuna's childish display.

"Now onto the kitchen," said the man, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders and heading back in the direction of the kitchen.

"Um, Kawahira-san? I need to go. If Reborn finds me here, he won't like it," said Tsuna, struggling against the man's much firmer grip.

"I took care of it," said Kawahira. "It's too dangerous for you to go back with Namimori Middle's infamous head prefect and the world famous hitman hunting for you."

"But they—"

"I told you I took care of it," said the man as he pushed Tsuna into a small kitchen and towards a low table. "Sit down, sit down."

Tsuna obeyed, plopping down onto a cushion as the man busied himself in getting a teapot, a tea kettle, and clay tea cups.

"It's been so long since Sukai-chan came to visit," said the man as he set the cups on the table. "I was starting to worry that you would never come back."

"S-sukai-chan?" Tsuna squeaked.

"You never introduced yourself, so I had to call you something."

"My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Tsunayoshi, hm? A very regal name, but I think I prefer Sukai-chan."

"You can call me Tsuna," said the small brunette hurriedly. Between his mother's Tsu-kun and his classmates' Dame Tsuna, he had enough bad nicknames already.

"Tsuna," said the man as if trying the name out. "Tsuna. It fits. Tsuna it is then."

Tsuna sighed in relief. The tea kettle whistled. Kawahira poured the hot water into the tea pot and then the steaming tea into the cups.

"You should be careful," the man said. "It's too hot right now."

"O-okay," said Tsuna, putting the cup carefully on the table.

"I'm not talking about the tea," said Kawahira, his brown eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "I'm talking about your situation."

"Hibari and Reborn won't kill me," said Tsuna as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think Hibari doesn't want to lose an interesting herbivore like that, and Reborn's got some agreement with Fon...maybe…"

"It's not them you need to worry about," said the man. "It's yourself."

"Me?" asked Tsuna, clutching the cup of cooling tea. It had a soothing smell.

"You," said the man. He sat on the other side of the table. "I did miss my frequent visitor, but I didn't mind so much when I saw that my special visitor had others surrounding him. It was better that you didn't come to my side yard so often anyway, since I had no intention to introduce myself. I was much too content to see you whenever you appeared, and it was hardly a good idea for our acquaintance to go further. But after the stunt you pulled with Rokudo Mukuro and now your refusal to see what is right in front of you, I couldn't just watch anymore. I don't want my favorite visitor to end up dead."

Tsuna fiddled with the cup as he ducked under his hair. The man took a sip, and the room fell to silence. This quiet presence had his tongue forming words. How often had this man stood by that door and listened to Tsuna chatter and babble about anything and everything? The though disconcerted him, but…if the man had listened for so long, maybe one time more wouldn't hurt.

"Would it really matter?" asked Tsuna quietly. "I…I'm not that important. If I disappeared…"

"It would matter to me," said Kawahira equally quiet, though his tone held a softness where Tsuna's had held hollowness. "And it's not only me. It never was. Your mother would suffer from your absence. Who would help her up when her husband isn't there for her? And your brother. Who else would have the patience to put up with such a brat?"

"Mom would have Tamaki," said Tsuna tiredly. He had never spoken the words out loud before. "And Tamaki would have Mom. And maybe _he_ would come back for a while…"

"Your mother would collapse because your brother could never take your place. And he would be too impacted from losing you to try. And it's not only them anymore. Your friends would be crushed."

"M-my friends?" asked Tsuna. He hadn't given much thought to their reactions. He made them bentos, so they might miss the lunches. He sparred with Hibari, and the prefect might have a hard time finding someone else to fight. Hana tutored Tsuna and made Tsuna's lunch so the small brunette would have one less to do. Gokudera basically did whatever the silver haired teen could to make Tsuna happy. And Takeshi…Takeshi… "They would be better off without me."

"Hm," the man hummed through his tea. He set the cup down, and cold dark brown eyes looked over the thick lenses and assessed Tsuna. "How?"

"Hibari would find an opponent who wouldn't hold back on him," Tsuna said. Goosebumps prickled his skin, but he ignored them. He refused to look away from those cold, cold eyes. "Hana wouldn't waste so much time trying to get me to understand stuff that even Takeshi gets. Gokudera would think about himself more. And Takeshi…Takeshi would play baseball and wouldn't be thinking about giving up his dream."

Quicker than Tsuna could register the movement, the man had knocked Tsuna over the head with a fan. Tsuna rubbed his head, wondering why it seemed to be such a popular target. Both Hibari and Reborn liked to hit him there. And that fan hurt! It didn't feel real, but it hurt. What was wrong with this man?

"You have a brain in there," said the man, the fan disappearing in a cloud of indigo flames. Tsuna blinked, and his mouth dropped open in an "oh." The man was an illusionist like Rokudo Mukuro. "It could use more exercise, I suppose, but it's there. It could use a jump start right now though." A hand waved in the air as it cleared the remnants of the indigo smoke. The smoke swirled and settled onto the hand and hardened into a strip of long fur that slithered down the man's arm and settled across the man's shoulders. He tapped patted one of the fur ends and focused his gaze back on Tsuna. "The girl, Hana, likes tutoring you. She would be bored in class otherwise since she has the second highest grades next to your friend Gokudera. And that boy does have an unhealthy fascination with you, but it's better you than your brother. You can help snap him out of it. As for Takeshi, it's his decision to leave baseball. If it weren't for you, no one would have stopped him from jumping off the school roof and either dying or ending any baseball career he could have had."

Tsuna's mouth closed in a line. The man wasn't right. He couldn't be. Tsuna opened his mouth to contradict Kawahira's confused conclusions.

"Sh," said Kawahira putting his finger to his lips again. "I'm not done. You'll get your turn when that brain of yours has finished jump starting. I don't see sparks yet."

What was the man talking about? Tsuna sighed and brought the cup of tea to his lips.

"Maybe I do see sparks," said the man with an easy grin. "I'm sure that you can guess what would happen to your Yamamoto-san if his son jumped off the roof. He hasn't ever completely recovered from his dear Mako's death, and his son's would have pushed him too far. And for that family to disappear would be a great loss for this world. Your adoptive siblings, I-pin and Lambo, would have nowhere to go. I-pin would lose her childhood too soon, and Lambo would never have one to begin with. His entire _famiglia_ except his boss and father have been trying to get rid of him for years. They don't want to deal with a spoiled brat. And then there is your sensei. He would probably perfectly content if he hadn't met you. He's the kind who is hard to provoke or anger. He would smile, though it would be less and less as his precious student would become stained in black and red and he could do nothing to stop it. And believe it or not, that new tutor of yours benefits from your presence. He would end up going too far and nearly kill your brother, losing the trust of all the people he respects in this world and driving him down a road of self-destruction. And I think I see enough sparks that I do not need to explain what would have happened to your newest protector, Lancia."

The tea cup had returned to the table. Tsuna clutched it tightly in his grip. Kawahira had to be lying, but he wasn't. Tsuna could tell that the man was telling the truth. Or at least the man thought he was telling the truth.

"What…why do…how?" asked Tsuna, the words slipping and sliding on his tongue. Kawahira smiled.

"The information came from a very reliable source," said the man. "He has very good insights on what would happen if certain things were different. Thankfully, that is only one scenario in millions. A world without Sawada Tsunayoshi is a terrible one indeed."

Tsuna hid behind his hair, obscuring his view of Kawahira. The man was telling the truth. The bottom of the teacup had a splash of tea left. The tea had tasted wonderful, a blend of tastes and smells that Tsuna hadn't had before. He wondered if Kawahira would teach the small brunette how the man made it.

"Tsuna," came a whisper. Tsuna's head shot up at the closeness of the words. Kawahira smiled from where he sat right next to Tsuna. Tsuna hadn't noticed the man move. Dark brown eyes, warm and soft, held Tsuna still. "It is more than worrying, it is insulting to those who care about you that you think of your life as worth nothing. There is much good done when someone like you puts others' lives first, but you cannot discount your own. You have to put the same effort you use to protect other's lives to protect yourself. And it is not as if you don't have help. Your friends want to protect you as much as you want to protect them."

Tsuna blinked in an effort to break the spell of those eyes, but he couldn't ignore the truth in those words. Image flashed across his mind, of Hana lecturing the small brunette on his brother or standing between the prefect and Tsuna, of Gokudera threatening Tamaki and speaking in those musical words that sounded like lifelong oath, of Lancia refusing to leave Tsuna's side except under Tsuna's continual pleas, of Lambo and I-pin clinging and begging their 哥哥' not to leave, of Tsuyoshi picking Tsuna up and putting him on the bed, of Fon and Reborn teaming up to get Tsuna to rest, of Takeshi letting Tsuna cling to the taller brunette when no one else had…of Takeshi's back with the red tint on the taller brunette's sword, the swordsman refusing to turn around as he declared that he wouldn't see Tsuna until the small brunette would fight seriously. Why did that back suddenly look so taut and strained? As if Takeshi wanted to turn around and wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders like always and say he was kidding.

"Ah," said Kawahira, clearing away the image away with the sound. Tsuna watched dazedly as the man stood. "Now that your brain's working properly, I guess it's time to take care of those injuries. That gash on your arm isn't too deep. A sword cut was it? Whoever is playing with swords around you has pretty good restraint. A sword sharp enough to make that cut could have taken off your entire arm easily. Better go get the bandages. Stay here until I get back."

Tsuna nodded absently, as the image came back. He could see it clearly now, and the small brunette clenched his fists hard enough for the scrapes on his palms to scream. He had failed them. He should have listened to what his friends had been saying.

* * *

><p>The small brunette stumbled into his room near midnight and nearly gave Fon a heart attack. When had Tsuna gotten good enough to come within only a few feet of Fon before the martial artist noticed the boy? Tsuna didn't seem to notice Fon a first, and Fon was glad that the martial artist had never fully hidden himself from the boy before. Tsuna's ability to sense things was incredible, and if the boy had been unable to sense Fon before, Tsuna would have adjusted and found out exactly how to tell when the arcobaleno was near. Doubtless, the boy would become harder to hide from once Fon revealed himself. But Fon wanted to observe his student first. The boy had one of his sleeves clipped closed, the same sleeve that had made little resistance against Takeshi's sword. As the boy tugged the top to take it off, the sleeve fell back in for an instant, and bandages peeked out. So wherever the boy had been, he had taken care of his injuries. Fon decided to step in and interrupt the boy's action before it became awkward for his student.<p>

"Where have you been?" asked Fon, startling both the boy and himself. Fon had meant to lead up to that question calmly. He had wanted his student to understand the seriousness the offense of disappearing on his teacher was. But the question had escaped the martial artist's mouth before Fon could stop it.

"Fon-sensei," said the boy quickly, reddening as he pulled the shirt back into its proper position. "I…I-I was…"

"Reborn couldn't find you," said Fon, finding himself in front of the boy. When had he become so covert with his words? Reborn hadn't been the only one searching and not finding anything.

"That was Uncle Kawahira's fault," said Tsuna, with an attempt at a smile. The small, lopsided quirk of his lips couldn't match the smile that the boy wore whenever Tsuna finished a set perfectly and Fon complimented the boy on the achievement. Or when I-pin begged for another spar simply to play with the older boy in the only way she knew how. Or when the new Bovino boy hung to Tsuna and whined for another batch of the older boy's sushi. No, that twist marring the boy's lips could not be called a smile.

"Uncle Kawahira?" asked Fon, ignoring a strange twinge in his stomach when he registered the form of address. It shouldn't matter what his student called an acquaintance. And Fon had already proven himself unworthy of that title.

"Y-yes," said the boy. Fon wanted to smile at his student's perception, but the arcobaleno couldn't muster the energy necessary to try. He would have felt his age if he weren't in this cursed body. Suddenly, the boy's body tensed, and Tsuna dropped into a deep bow. "I-I'm so sorry."

"What for?" asked Fon, sharper than he intended.

"For everything," said the boy softly. "I…I disrespected your teachings. I didn't…you taught me to defend myself and those around me, and I…I didn't defend myself. And I…I'm sorry that I have been holding back when I shouldn't. I should…I should show my opponents what the Kaze Ryu can really do."

Fon felt the smile he couldn't dredge up earlier pulling at his lips. His student was beginning to understand. Whoever this "Uncle Kawahira" was, he had Fon's thanks. But Tsuna didn't understand fully yet. The martial artist stretched out a hand and patted the brown hair that almost reached his height. The small brunette looked up in surprise, and the smile stretched Fon's lips fully.

"Give me your hand," said Fon. Tsuna cocked his head slightly but stretched out one of his hands. Fon motioned for the boy to sit, and Tsuna did, shifting automatically into seiza position as the boy did for Fon's explanations. Fon took the hand, pulling it slightly closer so that his free hand could encircle the boy's wrist. A thrum met Fon's fingers, and something inside Fon's chest eased. His lips gave in and quirked upwards. "This is how I know that the Kaze Ryu has done what it has to."

The confusion on the boy's face was both endearing and frustrating. Fon squeezed the wrist slightly, and the large brown eyes flickered to it. Comprehension finally filled the large brown eyes.

"Sensei?"

"Master," said Fon. The word flowed out his mouth, but Fon didn't want to take it back. He would worry about the Triad later. I-pin was much too attached to the boy to separate them now, and no one had taken to the Kaze Ryu as this boy had. Fon had always striven to be honest with himself, but he wondered why even in his thoughts he was skirting around the truth. Perhaps he had been around a certain hitman too long.

"M-master?" asked Tsuna, almost choking on the word.

"Yes, master," said the martial artist, staring straight into those perceptive brown gaze. "I want to make sure that the Kaze Ryu continues to do what it has to."

One last time, the martial artist let the tiny thrumming beat help him breath, and then Fon let go. He bypassed Tsuna with a greater ease than normal, thanks to the fact that the boy had frozen. The boy stirred quickly and would have said something in protest, but Fon didn't like pointless arguments.

"I will come back when you are changed for bed," said Fon as he opened the door. "I suggest you do it quickly, as your tutor has a tendency to be violent when worried."

Fon exited and closed the door behind him, but not before catching the quiet squeak of terror that came from the boy. Opening the window, Fon held out a hand and waited for a brown beetle to land on one of Fon's outstretched fingers.

"Good evening, little one," said Fon. The insect opened its wings in response. Fon took a moment to marvel at the versatility of the sun attribute before lifting the beetle up to eye level. "Tell your master that he's back home."

The beetle might have lifted one of its foreleg in a strange sort of salute before flying off into the night sky. Fon followed the insects trajectory and determined that his student had about eight minutes before chaos descended into Tsuna's room.

* * *

><p>The hitman hadn't spent more than a second comprehending the beetles message before running full speed to the Sawada residence. He had a student to discipline, and no one, not even Fon, was going to get in his way. Kicking the rightmost window open, Reborn landed in front of the small brunette (too close, the hitman hadn't been able to tell where the boy was at all). Breaking through the boy's guard like it was paper, the hitman knocked the boy to the floor.<p>

"You have five seconds to start explaining," growled the hitman, standing on the boy's chest and pointing Leon in gun form at the brat's forehead. The chameleon had taken the form without much prompting from the hitman.

"E-explain w-wha—ow!" Dame-Tsuna dared to stutter. The boy would have rubbed the new bruise under his chin, but the hitman didn't give him the chance.

"Four."

"W-wai—wait!"

"Three."

"Explain what!"

"Two."

"I was at Uncle Kawahira's store!" blurted the former weakling in desperation. The hitman considered shooting the boy anyway, but since the hitman didn't want to ruin his delicately laid plans by having to explain why he shot the elder twin with the Dying Will Bullet, Reborn refrained.

"And who is that?" asked the hitman almost calmly as he subtly checked the boy's condition. Other than the boy's bandaged arm and bruised chin, Dame Tsuna had no new injuries, nor did the boy act like he had suffered mentally in the short absence.

"A-a friend," said Dame-Tsuna, and the hitman could almost see the smile that would have glowed on the boy's face in any other situation. Good. The boy had a healthy fear of the hitman. As such, Reborn would let that small stutter slide.

"And where does this friend live?" asked Reborn. The hitman had made Dino all but turn Namimori upside down looking for the former weakling.

"I-I—I'm sorry, Reborn, b-b—but he told me n-n—not to tell you," said the boy, fighting to keep the stutter under control. The hitman humphed, obviously displeased with the boy's answer.

"You came earlier than I expected," said Fon, making his presence known. The hitman ignored the other arcobaleno and glared at the boy. Reborn's body shook with the tremors coming the former weakling's body, and the brown eyes were wide with fright. But Dame-Tsuna kept his mouth closed. Reborn clicked his tongue, startling the boy further, and then hopped off the boy's chest. Only his chosen student could quail under the hitman's glare and still say nothing.

"How much later did you expect me?" asked the hitman. Changing topics was a good way to verbally unbalance your opponent.

"I expected you in eight minutes, but it hasn't been five," said the martial artist with that infuriatingly knowing smile. "You must have come full speed to get here in that amount of time."

"Leon was worried," said the hitman, allowing the chameleon to shift back and climb onto the hitman's fedora. The chameleon curled up against the fedora's orange band, probably intending to rest now that Dame-Tsuna's location had been discovered and leave the rest to his master.

"Lichi was as well," said the martial artist. The hitman refused to react to the concession in the tone.

"Why don't you go check on him then?" said the hitman.

"I will," said Fon. "As soon as Tsuna is safe and in bed. As his master, I have to make sure that he's well rested."

Reborn stilled for an instant as he registered the change of address. Given the redness in the former weakling's face, the boy also understood what that title meant. But then the martial artist was one of those people who were transparent to the point of being opaque.

"So then the storm got caught up in the sky," Reborn said with a smirk. The martial artist smiled complacently, and the hitman's smirk twisted into a scowl. The former weakling glanced between the two arcobaleno, and Reborn whipped out his favorite non-Leon pistol and pointed it at the boy's head. Dame-Tsuna's head jerked to a stop, and the brown eyes quivered as they stared down the barrel of the gun.

"What did this Uncle Kawahira do?" demanded the hitman. The former weakling shifted uncomfortably as he sat in seiza like he would for Fon's lectures.

"H-h—he fed me tea and bandaged my arm," Dame-Tsuna whispered. The hitman continued to stare, adjusting the grip on the gun. The shifting turned into squirming. "…he showed me his shop…?"

Reborn clicked the safety on the gun.

"H-h—he fed me more tea? A-a—and he showed me how to make it. And he gave me a gift and—"

"What gift?" interrupted Reborn. Shakily, Dame-Tsuna reached under the collar of his blue pajama top. A pendant dangled from the chain that had been his father's, the one his mother had given Dame-Tsuna on his birthday. The pendant was dark glass encircled by a platinum frame that stuck out in two points at the side. The glass itself seemed to catch the darkness instead of the light, shadows flickering through its many facets.

"Where did he get that?" asked Fon, stepping forward. The hitman gazed warningly to the martial artist, whose smile twitched in amusement. Reborn's scowl darkened.

"H-h—he has a-a—an antique shop," said the former weakling, shivering under the tense atmosphere. Fon's smile disappeared and was replaced by a concerned frowned. The martial artist gave Reborn a version of the hitman's earlier look. Reborn snorted and allowed the former weakling take a much needed deep breath.

"So he had it among his antiques," prompted Fon. Reborn tilted his fedora forward to block the view of his eyes rolling upward as the martial artist's coaxing. Their student did not need to be babied.

"Yes," said the boy, trying to focus on Fon in between frequent glances at Reborn's pistol. The hitman's shadowed smirk probably wasn't helping Dame-Tsuna's concentration. "Uncle Kawahira said he'd been waiting for the right person to give it to."

"And he thought that was you?" asked Fon gently. Outside of martial art training, the storm arcobaleno was too soft on the boy. Enemy _famiglie_ would not let the boy get comfortable before answering questions.

"He said it fit the chain perfectly," said Dame-Tsuna, still warily eyeing the hitman's gun. Reborn's smirk sharpened. The boy shouldn't ever ignore a potential threat.

"May I see it?" said the martial artist, stretching out a hand to take the pendant. The former weakling didn't hesitate to loop the chain over his neck and hand the necklace to the martial artist, forgetting the hitman's presence.

"HIIE!" shrieked Dame Tsuna as the boy leaned backwards enough to keep the bullet from grazing his cheek. Reborn smirked. All those "tutoring" sessions with the boy had helped Dame-Tsuna's reaction time in regards to bullets headed towards him. So the brat's irritating nature had come in handy. The martial artist glared at the hitman, who continued to smirk. The boy was not only the storm arcobaleno's student any longer. The warmth filling the room caused both arcobalenos to temporarily forget their silent argument. That warmth, it belonged to only one person. Tsuna held the chain and pendant in his hand. "Is something wrong?"

"Dame-Tsuna, where did that man get that?" demanded Reborn. The former weakling stared slightly sideways at the hitman.

"Uncle Kawahira brought it out from his back room," said Dame Tsuna, and the warmth settled fully and faintly into the room. The hitman could sense the boy perfectly now.

"Tsuna, where is your birthday present from Tsuyoshi-san?" asked Fon. Dame-Tsuna gave the martial artist a similar stare to the one the hitman had gotten, but he scurried over to the bed and pulled something out from underneath it. A familiar 3-inch box sat in the former weakling's hand. The hitman had wondered if the boy had kept it or not. He should do a thorough search of the room next time he had the opportunity and see what other secrets his student kept hidden in here. A burst of orange came from the box as the lid flipped open and the contents leapt in an orange ray onto the boy's empty hand.

A shining platinum pendant connected to an orange band glittered in the boy's palm along with a stick of dynamite, a faded storybook, and a crayon scribbled paper. Reborn held back a snort, deciding that the boy's room wouldn't be worth the search. If these were the boy's treasures, the former weakling probably had nothing worth knowing in this room. The hitman put the safety back on the pistol as he felt his fingers tighten around the trigger. The stupid martial artist smiled gently at the boy again, but the hitman could see the subtle sharpness tainting Fon's movements. Fon took hold of the orange band and held the first pendant up next to the one Dame Tsuna had placed on the bed, and the platinum frame of the one on the chain caught the light in such a way that it flashed slight indigo. That color…The one in Fon's hand seemed to flash orange in response. The two arcobaleno's exchanged glances.

"What is it?" asked Dame-Tsuna, the brown eyes flittering between the two arcobaleno. Fon gave the hitman a look that could have been curious if not for the hardness of the gaze. The hitman barely held back another snort. Reborn did not need the martial artist's consent to teach the boy the things the former weakling needed to know.

"There is a legend among the Vongola," said Reborn as the martial artist place the orange glinting emblem next to the indigo glinting on Tsuna's bed. "About the Primo's involvement with the most famous craftsman of the time. The man's name was whispered among all in either reverence or fear. The story says that the Primo did something to impress the craftsman, and so the craftsman gave one set of his most powerful objects to the Primo. Those objects became known as the Vongola rings which are passed down from generation to generation of Vongola, both because of the power they represent and the fact that no one outside the Primo's blood family can wield them. But as amazing as the rings were, there were also two other sets of objects to balance them out, and the three sets together supposedly keep the world's power in balance. The craftsman had merely entrusted one set to Primo and his descendants in order to guard them."

The hitman paused. Reborn could see confusion and doubt decorating the boy's gaze, but it remained attentively on the hitman, taking in what the hitman was saying. The fedora tilted downward to shadow the hitman's face and obscure the quirk of the lips that the boy might confuse for a smile.

"They say that the craftsman stayed nearby the Vongola headquarters to make sure that the rings were in good hands and to look for people to entrust the other sets to," continued the hitman, a hand finding its way to his pacifier. "But the craftsman's skills were legendary, and so people from all over the world sought him out to beg and plead for his skills. He was said to be eccentric and did things his own way." A third snort threatened to burst from the hitman, but Reborn settled for gripping his pacifier harder. "So he helped some, but others he ignored completely. Many left unsatisfied, and so the craftsman gained many enemies. One of them stole the craftsman's most treasured possession. The craftsman nearly went mad trying to retrieve it, and the Primo ended up stepping in and retrieving it for the craftsman. In return, the craftsman bound himself and his work, save the other two sets of objects, to Vongola for all time. As proof of his oath, the craftsman forged seven emblems, one for the Primo and each of his guardians. The _Augurio_ supposedly held great power, gathered from the Primo and his guardians themselves, but their purpose was never fully explained. The craftsman had only said that they would come in handy one day. He insisted that the _Augurio _would aid Vongola one day, when the _famiglia_ needed them most and that the Primo and his guardians should keep a close eye on them. But the emblems were lost over time, after the Primo took them with him when he and his guardians came to Japan. Many have tried to find the _Augurio, _but most believe that they never existed."

"These belong to Vongola?" asked Dame-Tsuna, staring at the two emblems and picking them up.

"Yes," said the hitman, a cheeky grin overcoming his face. "And that means that fate acknowledges you as the proper Vongola Decimo."

"W-what! No! Tamaki's the Vongola Decimo!" exclaimed the boy, frantically waving his hands in front of him. The emblems stayed firmly in the boy's grip along with the boy's pathetic treasures. "Not me! I'm not—"

"You shouldn't fight fate, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.

"Fate shouldn't fight Tsuna," said Fon, the sharpness in his movements becoming less subtle. A small smile bloomed on the boy's face at the martial artist's words, and Reborn snapped the safety off his pistol and pointed it towards the former weakling.

"Keep that on at all times," said the hitman using the pistol to point to the chain and emphasize the importance of the command. The boy's smile faded as he nodded quickly and leaned back to gain the optimal position to dodge bullets from said pistol. However, his head was now in full view of the window. "Get to bed. You have school in the morning."

Nodding again, the boy immediately got up to obey the command and quickly moved his head away from the window's line of vision. After the boy was wrapped in the covers on the bed, the martial artist leapt onto it and patted the boy's unruly hair.

"I-pin and Lambo expect you to stop by tomorrow," said the martial artist.

"Fon-sen- um…_Shishō_," the former weakling whispered softly, hardly breathing the word. "C-could you tell Takeshi that…that tomorrow after school?"

The martial artist's eyes reflected the hitman's own surprise.

"He will be surprised to hear back from you so soon," said Fon.

"Uncle Kawahira…he made me see what I couldn't," said the boy, turning away from the martial artist, but the moonlight didn't hide the redness emanating from the boy's skin. A deep breath rocked the boy's form, and he turned back, that orange glaze coloring the normally brown eyes. "I won't let you down this time."

"He's safe and in bed," interrupted the hitman. "You should get back before Lichi worries."

Fon's expression regained that amused air. "Of course. I will pass on your message."

Leaping off the bed, the martial artist leapt from the bed and passed the hitman.

"Tsuyoshi has two other emblems," said the martial artist before exiting. The hitman refused to look back and give the storm arcobaleno the satisfaction of seeing the hitman's surprise. It seemed fate really was more on Dame-Tsuna's side.


	28. On Guard

Chapter 28: _On Guard_

Takeshi swung his sword a couple of times slowly enough for the _Shigure Kintoki _to remain in its wooden form as he looked back at the entrance to the park. Tsuna hadn't come yet. Hana had already claimed a swing, and Gokudera had leaned against the large dinosaur that kids used to crawl in and out of. But Tsuna still wasn't here. The sword came down harder than Takeshi meant, and it flashed into katana mode before Takeshi loosened his grip and returned it back to bamboo sword. Tsuna would get here. The small brunette didn't break his promises. The young swordsman had been surprised when Tsuna's sensei had told the young swordsman that Tsuna wanted to fight after school. The tall brunette hadn't expected Tsuna to agree to a fight so soon. Not that Takeshi was complaining. The whole day at school had been boring without Tsuna. They were in the same classroom, but Takeshi had not looked at Tsuna once, knowing that doing so might make Tsuna forget the importance of this fight. Tsuna had eluded both Hana and Gokudera's attempts to get close to him and that had Takeshi thinking that maybe he hadn't picked the right swing. But the tall brunette had to take a crack at it. Tsuna wouldn't get it if Takeshi used words. Hana had used words, and Tsuna still didn't get it. So Takeshi had to try to get to Tsuna without words, or else Tsuna would never get it. And they would all lose.

Lancia walked into the park, and Takeshi grinned at the tall man. Wherever Lancia was, Tsuna couldn't be too far away. The tall man didn't like letting Tsuna out of his sight.

"Are you ready?" asked a quiet voice. Takeshi's eyes widened, and his grin fell. When had Tsuna gotten so good at hiding even when he wasn't really hiding? Takeshi nodded, and _Shigure Kintoki_ changed into a katana. Fon gave the swordsman a knowing smile and a slight bow before taking his place directly between the two. The small brunette pulled out a pair of orange rimmed glasses and put them on before he took a deep breath and shifted into a stance that Takeshi had not seen before. Leaning back a bit, Tsuna lifted and bent his right leg in front of him as he balanced on his left. His left arm stood bent in front of him, and his right stretched prepared at his side. But it was the small brunette's hands that worried the young swordsman. They usually sat palm upwards or out, fingers close together and pointed in the same direction. But the fingers were curled into the palm, almost as if into reluctant fists, and the pointer and middle fingers of each hand stood hooked above the rest. Takeshi could only hope that his dad's gift would throw the small brunette off enough to keep Takeshi from getting beat up too badly. Tsuna would never forgive himself if Takeshi ended up in the hospital, and that would be the out that ended the whole game.

The kid-sized martial artist lifted his hand, and Takeshi pulled back his sword. The hand fell, and Takeshi swung his sword forward, but he had to shift the swing to block the hand headed for his head. Immediately, he used the _Shigure Soen Ryu's_ seventh form to block the blows he could barely see coming. He dug his feet into the ground to keep from being pushed back. Takeshi opened his mouth and kept spinning his sword. Tsuna became visible for an instant (hadn't Tsuna put on regular glasses? Why was he wearing an orange aviator sunglasses?), and Takeshi quickly took the opportunity to match the small brunette's breathing. The strikes came at that hopelessly unseen speed, but Takeshi stepped around the hands that shot towards him, trying to bite into him with those hooked fingers. A grin tugged Takeshi's lips briefly. Tsuna wasn't holding back.

A hand attacked his face, and Takeshi brought up his sword to deflect the blow, and a second closed in on his stomach. Takeshi slipped one of his hands off his sword and tugged on the emblem that hung from Shigure Kintoki's hilt. The emblem flashed bluish-purple. A second sword blocked the second blow, freezing all action as Tsuna stared at the second sword.

"Hey Tsuna," said Takeshi quietly. "Did you know that the emblems that Dad gave us grant wishes?"

The small brunette continued to stare from behind the orange tinted visor, and now that Takeshi was closer, the swordsman could see a flame the same light orange as the visor flickering on Tsuna's forehead. The pressure from both the attacking hands lessened as confusion painted Tsuna's expression.

"Wishes?" the small brunette whispered in that deep tone that Tsuna used when he would not be ignored.

"Yep," said the young swordsman. He narrowed his eyes and changed his grip on both swords. "And Dad's granted mine."

The swords flashed as Takeshi thrust them at a speed equal to Tsuna's in Takeshi's own ninth form, _Ni Tsubame no Kuchibashi_. The blades grazed the small brunette as they thrust at Tsuna like swallow beaks, and Takeshi changed to the eighth form, _Shinotsuku Ame, _andaimed around Tsuna instead of at the small brunette, hoping to confuse the young martial artist. Tsuna's uniform gained a few more tears, but none of the slashes cut into the small brunette's skin. Both blades soon met nothing but air. Takeshi let the two slip out of his hands and grabbed the twin emblems hanging from the two swords. The two became four, Takeshi dropped the extra two, using one to execute the _Shigure Soen Ryu's_ third form and kick it towards the small brunette. Tsuna dodged the sword, but the second nicked the small brunette's shoulder. Takeshi used the resulting wince as an opportunity to move in and thrust his two remaining swords at Tsuna. But Tsuna caught one and blocked the other. The caught sword was yanked out of Takeshi's grip, but the taller brunette let it go and used _Samidare_, switching the remaining sword to the hand that was now empty and slashing at Tsuna's injured shoulder. Tsuna stopped the diagonal slash.

"Sorry," whispered Tsuna, and Takeshi's sword was knocked out of the young swordsman's hand. An instant later, Takeshi found himself on the ground with Tsuna's curled knuckles digging into his throat.

"The fight is over. The winner is Sawada Tsunayoshi," said Fon, in a voice that held a quiet pride. Takeshi grinned to hide his wince as Tsuna's fingers released the force biting into Takeshi's windpipe. The hand uncurled and stretched out towards Takeshi as brown eyes flickered worriedly over Takeshi's prone form. Takeshi's grin widened, as he took the hand and let it help him up.

"You're really strong, Tsuna," said Takeshi. The brown eyes hid behind brown hair and their new layer of uncolored glass, and Takeshi let the hand go to wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, leaning onto them more than he meant as a spike of pain shot through him and causing the worried gaze to return. "But I'm not bad either."

"No," Tsuna said, his expression going from worried to relieved. A small smile lit the small brunette's lips. "Takeshi is strong too."

Takeshi's grin stretched his cheeks further. Home run!

"I have to say, when Takeshi claimed you were holding back, I thought he might have been exaggerating a bit," said Hana, coming towards the two. "But I see that you were acting more monkeyish than what I had thought."

"Shut up, stupid wench," growled Gokudera. "Tsuna-sama had every reason to hold back if he wanted."

"Maybe against you," Hana said. "But against Takeshi, holding back was ridiculous. I can almost sympathize with our violent head prefect now."

"Are you saying that I am weaker than the sword freak and that man?" demanded Gokudera, his hands twitching over his pockets.

"Well, you are, aren't you?" said Hana. Before the silver haired teen took out those strange fireworks, Takeshi threw his other arm around the angry teen's shoulders.

"Now, now, Gokudera, Hana just hasn't seen you fight lately," said the young swordsman.

"Let go of me, sword freak!" yelled Gokudera.

"I would, but then I might fall," said Takeshi, shifting his weight to lean more on Gokudera. The swordsman squeezed the small brunette's shoulders to keep that worry from creeping back onto Tsuna's face. "Making more than one sword is tiring."

"How did you do that?" asked Hana, scrutinizing the remaining Shigure Kintoki critically.

"I wished for it," said Takeshi, his grin refusing to leave his face. His dad's emblem had given Takeshi a great gift, and Takeshi would use it to protect Tsuna and those important to both of them.

"You wished for it?" the tall girl said skeptically.

"Yep. The _Augurio_ grant wishes," said Takeshi. The tall girl stared unbelievingly at him, but Gokudera stiffened under the tall brunette's arm.

"The _Augurio_?" said Gokudera. Takeshi's grin shrunk faintly under the silver haired teen's tone. Gokudera had used a similar tone to explain the Vindice. And Lancia, who had been standing nearby silently, had also started at the name.

"They belonged to my ancestor and his…friends," Tsuna whispered. "They were meant to help them. But they didn't know what they did."

"I guess that means your ancestors and mine were friends too then," said Takeshi. He liked the idea. IT was almost like Tsuna and him were related even if they weren't.

"So they multiply swords?" said Hana.

"No," said the kid from Tsuna's head. Maybe Tsuna had learned his new sneakiness from the kid. "That is just what the young Yamamoto's does."

"So they all do different things then?" asked Hana. "What does Tsuna's do then?"

"We don't know," said Fon as he glanced at Tsuna's shoulder. Takeshi would let the martial art master have the space on Tsuna's uninjured shoulder, but Takeshi hadn't been exaggerating when he said he would fall over if he let go of Tsuna and Gokudera's shoulders.

"Guess the mystery can wait," said Hana. "Takeshi needs to get back to his house before he wastes all his energy trying to stand."

Takeshi let his lips fall into an appreciative smile as hands came from both sides to support him as they began to go back to Takesushi. Takeshi couldn't wait to tell his dad all about the fight, and maybe Dad would explain why Gokudera and Lancia associated his dad's _Augurio_ with Tamaki's mafia game.

* * *

><p>The alarm beeped insistently, and for the first time in a long while, Tsuna glared at the device. His arms groaned in pain, and his legs protested every move, painfully. And Hibari would no doubt want to fight today. Or Ryohei-sempai would want to drag Tsuna into the boxing club. Then Gokudera would try to blow the boxer up, and Tsuna would have to stop the bomber. Hana would make a quip about monkeys, making Gokudera angrier and harder to calm down. And Takeshi wouldn't be there to try and help Tsuna calm everyone down and make it worse somehow, because Yamamoto-san had basically tied Takeshi to the bed until his body was rested enough. Apparently, Tsuna and Takeshi's fight had taken a lot more strength out of the former baseball player. Tsuna didn't know whether to be impressed or distressed that Takeshi had decided to honor their deal by returning to the baseball club for a day and then quitting again. Tsuna snuggled under the covers and wondered if just this once he could take the day off.<p>

He rolled out from under the covers, but he couldn't completely avoid the kick that sent him flying out of bed.

"_Ciaossu_, Dame-Tsuna," said a mean voice. Tsuna sighed, wishing the demon would go away. It wasn't even 6 yet. He could afford a few more minutes yet. A green gun sat inches in from Tsuna's face, and Tsuna smiled slightly.

"Good morning, Leon," Tsuna whispered. The gun glowed and changed into the chameleon, who proceeded to jump onto Tsuna's head. Reborn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "traitor," before turning to leave.

"By the way," said the hitman with a smirk, "if you're not ready in ten minutes, I'll make sure to add something special to your bentos."

Tsuna immediately shot up and hurried to change and get downstairs. He had no idea what the hitman would be put in the bentos, but he didn't want to find out. In three minutes flat he had changed and was hurrying downstairs. He tripped and fell down, hitting his shoulder, head, and hip as he tumbled down the steps.

"Tsu-kun, are you alright?" asked his mother, and Tsuna blinked wearily up at her. Leon scuttled out of Tsuna's hands. Thankfully, Tsuna had grabbed the chameleon before taking the quickest and most painful way down the stairs, and so Leon hadn't gotten hurt. The green chameleon jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder and licked Tsuna's cheek. Tsuna smiled, but annoyed brown eyes interrupted his relief. "You shouldn't ignore your mother."

"Ah, sorry. I'm alright," said Tsuna, dusting himself off as he stood. The fall had made the irritated the muscle pains, and Tsuna flinched. Hopefully the tumble wouldn't wake Lancia and Fuuta. The two were currently sleeping in the downstairs guestroom. Tamaki wasn't pleased with the arrangement, but Yamamoto-san didn't have any more space and Lancia refused to leave Tsuna's side whenever possible. The man had given the excuse that the Vindice could come at any time. Thankfully, the man understood that he couldn't follow Tsuna everywhere.

"Are you sure, Tsu-kun?" asked his mother, looking him over. He realized that she was holding a spatula, meaning she had left breakfast on the stove in order to run over and check on her clumsy son. How long had it been since Tsuna had seen such a face on his mother? Tsuna could not help but smile to dismiss her worry.

"Do you need help?" asked Tsuna, gesturing to the spatula.

"Tsu-kun," said his mother quietly. She squatted down a little to lower herself to Tsuna's eye level. "Mama was worried when you didn't come home the other day. I didn't want to interrupt you since you seemed so focused when you came back, and you looked so much like your father but…Mama can't keep pretending."

Tsuna froze as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into herself in such a way that he could barely breathe. He couldn't move his arms to return the hug.

"Mama knows that Tsu-kun doesn't need her," she whispered so quietly that Tsuna couldn't help but think of the whistling wind. "But Mama needs Tsu-kun. So please." The whisper became more like a fluttering breeze, and Tsuna could hear his heartbeat over it. "Please be careful."

The trembling of his mother's arms shook Tsuna, and he wiggled in her grip. Her arms loosened, but Tsuna quickly threw his now free arms around her.

"I will," he whispered. A knock on the door made Tsuna jump, and Nana smiled at Tsuna's wide eyes.

"I wonder who that could be at this hour," said Nana, letting go and going to answer the door. Tsuna stretched his arm to stop her but pulled it back. He could tell there wasn't any trouble on the other side of the door despite the early hour, so she would be alright opening the door. But Tsuna had hoped to have his mother to himself for a little longer. "Good morning. And who are you?"

"Good morning," said a tall white-haired teen Tsuna hadn't seen before. "Is this the Sawada residence?"

* * *

><p>"I told you it's too early! We'll come back later," said Shoichi protested. His red hair bobbed as its owner bowed at the woman at the door. Why did his companions have always go out of their way to embarrass him? Shoichi wasn't even sure this was the place. He had never been to Tsuna's house before. "Sorry, m'am. We didn't-"<p>

"Irie-kun!" cried a familiar voice, and Shoichi looked up to see a familiar smile.

"T-Tsuna-sempai," said the redhead, jerking out of his bow. His glasses nearly fell off his face, but he caught them and clumsily straightened them. "Y-you're awake."

"I told you he would be," said the white haired teen. "Good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna gazed at Shoichi's companion warily.

"G-good m-morning," Tsuna whispered, the stutter less noticeable than Shoichi remembered. And did the small brunette look taller somehow? "W-w—who are you?"

"So direct. That's unusual coming from you," said the white haired teen. "My name's Byakuran."

"Byakuran?" Tsuna repeated.

"Just Byakuran," said the white haired teen smiling in a way that creeped most people out. Shoichi held back another sigh at the white haired teen's behavior. The redhead had not wanted to bring Byakuran to meet Tsuna for this very reason. Now Tsuna would shrink back further and…Shoichi stared. Other than slightly wider brown eyes and uncomfortable shifting of his feet, Tsuna didn't move. "And he's Fran."

"Yo," said another shorter teen from behind Byakuran. Tsuna blinked but didn't jump into the air like most people did when Fran popped out of nowhere. The small brunette did stare at Fran's hat.

"Um…Fran has a…unique fashion sense," said Irie-kun, rubbing the back of his head like he had picked up from Takeshi. The habit distracted him from his churning stomach.

"The apple hat he was wearing when we found him was worse," said Byakuran, amusing himself with Tsuna's reactions, or rather lack of reactions. The interest in the white haired teen's violet eyes made Irie's stomach twist further.

"No one told you you had to find me, sempai," said the frog hat teen.

"Find you?" asked Tsuna.

"It's better not to ask with these two," said Shoichi, pressing a hand against his swishing stomach. The last time those violet eyes had gone so sharp, the man they had been directed at had ended up in an asylum.

"Tsu-kun, you're being rude. Invite your friends in," said the woman. Her smile reflected the one Tsuna had worn upon seeing Shoichi. "You are staying for breakfast?"

"Of course. Who would miss a meal from such a beautiful woman?" said Byakuran smoothly, making Shoichi more worried and embarrassed. There was no reason for the white haired teen to turn on the charm. The woman blushed at Byakuran's manners and lead them inside. "So this is the great Tsunayoshi-kun's house."

The tall white-haired teen continued to wear that deceptively sweet smile as he looked around the small eating area. Shoichi was sure his face had reached a shade of red that matched his hair at the comment. He risked a glance at Tsuna who had on a strange expression that looked between uncomfortable and wary.

"I expected more," said Fran. Shoichi glared at the frog-hatted teen.

"Ah, but Irie-kun has never been here before, has he?" asked Byakuran, strangely startling violet eyes landing on the small brunette. Tsuna nodded in a jerky manner. "Still, it is rather hard to believe that this is the great Tsunayoshi-kun that we heard so much about."

"Heard about?" asked Tsuna. Shoichi's face heated to a shade that had to be redder than his hair.

"Inventor-chan talked about you all the time," said Fron flatly. "He would get all excited when he received an email from Genius-chan and would go all fanmode and tell us everything that was written in it."

"You didn't have to put it like that!" cried Shoichi, clutching the sides of his head to cover his embarrassment. "And please, don't call Gokudera-san that."

"T-That's okay," said Tsuna, quietly. The soft tone convinced Shoichi to look up at the small brunette. A small smile rested on Tsuna's face, and the heat in Shoichi's cheeks cooled. "G-Gokudera was happy to receive your emails too."

"Did he…did he read them to you?" asked Shoichi. He realized he was acting like a child and peeking from behind his fingers, but he couldn't help it. Ever since the small brunette had lead (because Tsuna had lead, no matter how much he protested) the rescue of Shoichi in that alley, a brightness seemed to envelop the image of this small brunette in Shoichi's head. The brightness had grown when Tsuna had risked himself to protect Shoichi and the Box despite not being a skilled fighter. And each e-mail that Gokudera sent only made the brightness worse as the other genius recounted stories of how Tsuna was getting stronger and fought _Hibari_ daily and was the one who made the bentos and even more recently fought off some very strong delinquents. Somehow, Shoichi had begun to consider this small brunette's opinion almost more important than those of the scientific community or even Gokudera. If Gokudera had been sharing those e-mails with Tsuna then…

"Y-yes," said the small brunette, a redness dusting his cheeks. Shoichi's stomach settled and warmed under the word. "I-I wanted to know how you were doing, and since Gokudera and you exchanged emails, so I-I asked him. A-and then he always wanted to read the emails…"

"Sempai, is it strange to call two male teens adorable?" asked Fran.

"Not when they are adorable," said Byakuran, making both Shoichi and Tsuna turn deeper red.

"Byakuran! Stop playing around!" cried Shoichi, hands in fists at his side. "And it is weird, Fran. Don't say that!"

"What a lively group of boys," said the woman who had to be Tsuna's mother as she bought in several dishes. Tsuna took a few of them and helped her place them on the table. "It's so good to have Tsuna's friends over."

"We're not friends," said Byakuran, staring intensely at Tsuna before closing hard violet eyes. Tsuna moved to stand between the teen and his mother, and Shoichi couldn't blame the small brunette. The redhead knew a meeting between Tsuna and Byakuran wouldn't end well. The two were too different, and Tsuna was the sort that Byakuran would want to tease mercilessly. "We were merely accompanying Irie-kun."

"Oh," said Tsuna's mother, her shoulders slumping a little.

"W-what h-he means i-is w-we haven't m-met before," said Tsuna quickly. "B-but maybe w-we can g-get to become f-friends later. A-and Irie-kun is already my friend."

"Irie-kun?" said Tsuna's mother. "Isn't that Gokudera-kun's friend?"

Tsuna nodded, and his mother's smile brightened.

"Enjoy the food as my advanced thanks for taking care of my Tsu-kun," she said as she went back to the kitchen. Shoichi inwardly groaned. She probably meant well, but…

"So we can eat as much of this as we want?" asked Fran sounding as interested as he only did when it came to food. Tsuna nodded and placed a plate on the table in front of where Fran was standing. The monotone teen sat down in the chair facing the plate, and Tsuna handed Fran a serving spoon. Without hesitation, the monotone teen started piling food on his plate.

"My, my, our Fran is hungry," said Byakuran, taking a seat across from Fran. Tentatively, Tsuna handed the white haired teen a plate which Byakuran took with that same unnerving smile. "You should sit too, Irie-kun."

"Is that alright?" asked Shoichi moving to sit beside Byakuran.

"Mom likes it when people eat her food," said Tsuna, putting a third plate down a seat over from the one Shoichi had headed towards and directing the redhead to sit away from the white-haired teen. Shoichi would have argued over the seating, but Byakuran interrupted the redhead before Shoichi could even begin.

"So I get to sit next to the great Tsunayoshi-kun?" said the white haired teen, and the small brunette's shoulders tensed. "What an honor."

"Byakuran! Please stop," Shoichi pleaded. He moved to grab the plate and placate Byakuran by sitting down next to the white haired teen, but Tsuna caught Shoichi's nervous gaze and gave the redhead a reassuring smile. The small brunette sat in the seat next to Byakuran.

"H-how are long are you staying?" asked Tsuna, keeping his brown eyes on Shoichi.

"Mom says I can't go overseas for another year," said Shoichi, calming down and taking his seat. "The company who bought my Box design said I could continue work on the Boxes in Japan. Otherwise, I would have lost a once in a lifetime deal."

"They only agreed on the condition that you let Sempai continue stalking you in Japan," said Fran, half the food on his plate gone. Tsuna wisely served himself and Shoichi before Fran finished his plate.

"I am keeping Irie-kun company. That is not called stalking," said Byakuran. Somehow, his smile had become even creepier. Shoichi hadn't seen it get this bad before.

"It's stalking when Shoichi-san says to leave him alone," said Fran as he reached for more food. Byakuran grabbed the smaller teen's wrist.

"Irie-kun was just playing," said Byakuran. The white haired teen's tone made Shoichi shiver. "And I think you've had enough food."

"Shoichi-san, sempai's trying to starve me again," said Fran in a childish whine that didn't match his indifferent expression.

"Byakuran, please let Fran eat," said Shoichi with his hand back on his stomach. "You know how he gets without food."

Slowly, Byakuran let Fran's wrist go, and the frog-hatted teen piled up his plate with twice as much food as before. Shoichi put a full spoon into his mouth in case Fran decided this was one of those times the constantly hungry teen would make the others' food "disappear." A groan came from Shoichi's side.

"Reborn," said Tsuna as if the name was the source of all his trouble. "Why'd you take my food?"

"A mafia boss that doesn't use his mouth properly shouldn't be allowed to eat," said a weird grinning baby as he ate Tsuna's food on the other side of the table. Tsuna groaned again and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "You should have thought of that before you spoke in a way unbefitting of the Vongola heir."

"T-Tsuna-sempai," said Shoichi softly. "Is that your brother?"

"No!" Tsuna yelled. Shoichi jumped at the uncharacteristic outburst. "T-this is Reborn. He's my-he's my brother's tutor."

"Your brother's tutor?" said Shoichi as he stared with worried shock at Tsuna. What kind of brother did Tsuna have to need a baby as a tutor? Maybe it was a joke or a game Tsuna played with the child?

"Your brother must be a weirdo like sempai then," said Fran.

"Who's a weirdo, Fran-chan?" asked Byakuran, and Fran subtly straightened at the added suffix.

"No one, sempai," said Fran.

"Good boy," said Byakuran. "So tell us more about this brother of yours, Tsunayoshi-kun. I have never heard of him before."

"W-w—well, he's—"

"What's with all the freaks in here so early in the morning?" asked a harsh voice. A boy who looked exactly like Tsuna (except Tsuna wouldn't wear such an expression) stomped into the room. "And you! Stop waking me up with electric shocks!"

"I just want my student to be charged for the day," said the baby with a pout, making Shoichi more worried. This was a game, right?

"I'm not a battery!" growled the Tsuna look-alike.

"This is interesting," said Byakuran, and the violet eyes sharpened further. "I didn't expect twins."

* * *

><p>Seeing Tsuna already in his seat when she entered the classroom didn't surprise Hana. The white haired foreigner sitting in Kentaro's seat did.<p>

"Who are you?" asked the tall girl, automatically getting in between the foreigner and the small brunette. The way this monkey had been looking at Tsuna had Hana on edge.

"H-he's Byakuran," said Tsuna, pulling at her arm and trying to move her to the desk in front of his and away from the white haired teen. The white haired teen continued to wear a smile matched a cat's expression as it played with its food. "H-he's visiting b-b—because he's thinking of transferring to our school."

"It would be fun to be in the same class as the great Tsunayoshi-kun," said the white haired monkey. "And Fran wants to transfer here too."

"Only because you'll steal all my food if I don't," said a new voice flatly. Hana jumped as another boy appeared from nowhere, literally. The desk in front of the white haired monkey had been empty, and now a boy with a weird hat sat in it.

"Fran-san, please don't scare Hana," said Tsuna. "And stop hiding Irie-kun too."

"Why?" asked the new teen.

"Because I'll make you a bento later," said Tsuna. Irie suddenly appeared in the desk behind Tsuna's.

"Thank you, Tsuna-sempai," said Irie. "I really wish I knew how he does that."

"Uncle Kawahira can do the same thing too," said Tsuna as calmly as if people were not appearing out of thin air. "I could ask him how they do it."

"Is this the same Uncle Kawahira you insist on meeting every day?" asked Hana, taking her cue from Tsuna and ignoring the fact that people were popping out of thin air. That sort of weirdness seemed to follow Tsuna like Gokudera and Lancia did.

"Ah, so Tsunayoshi-kun has an uncle nearby here too," said the white haired monkey, making Tsuna stiffen.

"He's not necessarily his uncle," said Irie, and Hana's shock had lessened enough for her to realize who exactly was in the desk two seats behind her current one. She would have to remind the redhead how one is supposed to greet their friends instead of ignore them later. "He might be an older man who Tsuna respects and cares for like an uncle."

"Especially if he is the Kawahira," said the white haired monkey.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Hana, glaring at the white haired monkey.

"Nothing," said the white haired monkey. She continued to glare at him until a gentle pressure settled on her arm. When he had her attention, Tsuna shook his head as he withdrew his hand. Frowning, Hana crossed her arms. She didn't need to be treated like the stupid monkey. This white haired menace was asking for trouble.

"Where will you be studying, Irie-kun?" asked Tsuna, not fully turning to look at Irie. Good. The small brunette was smart enough to know to keep an eye on the white haired monkey.

"He's a genius," said Fran, leaning back in his desk. "He doesn't need to study anywhere."

"Is that true?" asked Hana, enjoying the redness of Irie's face. She had missed the redhead's modest demeanor. One only had to try listening in on a conversation between him and the idiot monkey to know that under that mop of red hair lay a brilliant mind.

"Yes," Irie whispered, but then he straightened. "B-but Mom wants me to go to keep studying, and I want to go to school with Takeshi-san, Gokudera-san, Hana-san, and Tsuna-sempai."

"With your intelligence," said Hana. "I'm sure that the principal would let you transfer into our class easily."

"It would be fun to have Irie-kun in our class," said Tsuna.

"Would your class allow three transfer students in the middle of the year?" asked Fran, and Hana wondered how the weird boy kept his tone so flat as he asked the question.

"They allowed a stupid monkey in," said Hana. "I don't think they will keep you out, even if one of you is an albino monkey in disguise."

"And who would that be?" said the white haired monkey, violet eyes flashing darkly.

"Only one of us in this room has white hair," said the tall girl, glaring at the albino monkey.

"Enough," said Tsuna. His voice had that will-not-be-ignored tone. And that orange tint was back in his eyes. "What is it that you want?"

"You," said Byakuran leaning closer to the brunette who didn't budge. He smiled that too loose smile and left a finger hovering millimeters from Tsuna's forehead. "I want what makes you you."

"And what is that?" asked the small brunette, not shirking backwards or showing the least bit of discomfort. His sideward glance held Hana in place, but she itched to knock that pale hand away from Tsuna. The smile on the albino monkey's face stretched into a grin that twisted his face.

"You make the perfect sky," said the creepy albino monkey. "And what appears here makes you that."

"My flame," said Tsuna calmly. The creepy albino monkey didn't move. "You can't have it. I need it to protect those important to me."

"Then maybe I will take your brother's," said the creepy albino monkey, pulling back his hand. Tsuna grabbed the withdrawing hand.

"Why?" asked Tsuna, and Hana could hear the tone cracking. Not again. He wasn't going to sacrifice himself for his brother again.

"Let go of him," said Hana. Violent violet eyes turned to her, but she ignored them. She was talking to the albino monkey. "He's bluffing. If he was really after your brother's flames or whatever, he would be bothering the moronic monkey king, not here trying to convince you to give yours up."

"A good observation," said the creepy albino monkey, his eyes disappearing behind their lids. "But I was just giving Tsunayoshi-kun the option before heading to talk to his brother."

"W-what are you talking about?" asked Irie-kun, getting out of his chair. He sat back down under the combination of three glares.

"It's best to remain quiet, Inventor-chan," said Fran. So the weird teen wasn't a brainless monkey. "Especially when sempai is acting all creepy."

"You shouldn't interrupt your sempai's negotiations," said the white haired monkey.

"Yes, sir," said Fran, saluting sharply and disappearing with Irie-kun. Hana blinked, but the other two returned to staring at each other.

"You're not lying," said Tsuna calm again. "But Hana's right."

"Maybe I am lying," said the creepy albino monkey, but Tsuna's gaze remained unfazed. "Can people lie to you here?"

"No," said Tsuna, the word full of truth. Hana watched as other students came into the classroom, but didn't come close to their area. Of course, they usually stayed away, but not so far, and not before the idiot monkey had come in. Where was the idiot monkey?

"Then I must be the first," said the creepy albino monkey. "What a different life you lead here. The ending will be the same."

"The ending?" said Tsuna.

"The end to our game," said Byakuran. "You always lose."

Silence filled the room as even the new arrivals stayed silent. The atmosphere lightened as Tsuna's orange filled eyes blinked back to brown but still retained their scrutinizing gaze, only a softer version than Hana had yet seen.

"Game?" Tsuna whispered, and light confusion colored his expression and hesitation flittered through his features. "Aren't…Don't you play games…aren't games things you do with friends?"

The hard violet eyes widened slightly, and the grin shrunk to a smile.

"You are a powerful sky, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the albino monkey, standing from Kentaro's seat. "We're leaving."

"Yes, sempai," said Fran, making himself and Irie visible again and startling the whole class. Many rubbed their eyes and mumbled about the weirdness that Tsuna attracted. Every time Hana thought the blindness of the monkeys in their class could not get worse, their classmates proved her wrong. They had seen that side of Tsuna and could still call him Dame-Tsuna.

"Irie-kun," called Tsuna with a warm smile. "After school?"

"Of course, Tsuna-sempai," said Irie with a wide relieved smile.

"Fran-san, you can come too," said Tsuna, getting a head nod from the strange teen, "… and Byakuran-san—"

"I wouldn't think of refusing an invitation from the great Tsunayoshi-kun," said the creepy albino monkey, cutting the small brunette off. "Besides, we have to see who can be the greatest sky."

An instant after the creepy albino monkey had exited the classroom with the strange teen and Irie (who Hana hoped she would be able to actually talk to later despite a certain idiotic brunette's friendliness to dangerous albino monkeys), the stupid monkey finally appeared, rushing towards Tsuna and making unnecessary apologies for getting lost. Like Tsuna cared as long as the stupid monkey showed up. Then the first bell rang, and everyone ran to their seats in one rushed motion. Only Kentaro stopped to gaze worriedly at his seat before slipping into it after Tsuna gave the slightly taller black haired boy a shy, reassuring smile. The stupid monkey went to his seat after Tsuna gave the monkey a hard, pleading look. The teacher entered the room as the second bell rang and opened the attendance book. Before he could read the names from the open book (which was a waste time—Hana could tell the teacher only Takeshi was absent with one look), the door banged open. The teacher's face stretched in horror.

"Other Sawada!" yelled Ryohei as the teacher back away from the loud boxer and started mumbling something no one could hear. "I heard you extremely finished your fight with Yamamoto."

Given the way Kyoko had slumped in her seat, Hana knew exactly where the boxer gotten that information. Hana had hoped that the cute girl would have kept the details of that fight from the boxer. The cute girl didn't like fights, so Kyoko had declined to watch the boys' "spars" both times. But that dislike hadn't stopped Kyoko from bombarding Hana with questions later. Next time, Kyoko would have to find answers to her questions elsewhere. Why were Hana's two best friends acting like idiots today?

"Stop bothering Tsuna-sama!" yelled the stupid monkey, making the teacher mutter more. Was the teacher seriously trying to shut the two up at that volume? He either knew the futility of trying to stop Ryohei or Hana's ears had stopped working properly when the boxer had come in the room.

"I wasn't talking to you, Octopus Head! I came to have my EXTREME match with the other Sawada."

"Hibari!" cried Tsuna, jumping out of his seat and startling the whole class, including the stupid monkey and the boxer.

"Not you too, Sawada," the teacher groaned loudly.

"S-sorry, sensei," said Tsuna, "but I n-need to go to the D-disciplinary Committee."

Silence followed that statement, and Hana idly wondered how many people's mouths now sat on their desks. No one asked to go to the Disciplinary Committee. Teachers threatened to send their students there and avoided the Disciplinary Committee office themselves. Tsuna took the pause to take out a purple bento from his bag and send the teacher a hard, pleading look that almost matched the one he gave the stupid monkey. The teacher dumbly nodded, and Tsuna quickly made his way through the desk and out the door.

"Wait for me, Sawada!" yelled Ryohei, running after the small brunette.

"Come back here, Lawn Head! I told you to leave Tsuna-sama alone!" cried the stupid monkey getting up from his seat and racing after them, once again leaving Hana alone with only Kyoko for company. But given that the teacher hadn't gone back to the attendance book in favor of staring mindlessly at the door, Hana would be kept entertained until Tsuna and the stupid monkey returned.


	29. Spinning

Chapter 29: _Spinning_

Knocking on the Disciplinary Committee office door, Tsuna tried to stand still as he waited for an answer. He didn't know if anyone was in, but he had to try, especially given that Kyoko's brother could only distract Gokudera for so long. Tsuna had forgotten that Hibari had given the small brunette until after the fight with Takeshi before resuming their fights. Knowing Hibari, he had probably been watching the fight between Tsuna and Takeshi and then prefect waited for his promised fight this morning. But Tsuna had come earlier than usual, wanting to distract Byakuran from getting too close to Tamaki. Tsuna had completely forgotten about the prefect, and Hibari probably didn't like being forgotten. The door opened making Tsuna look up from the bento in his hands. A familiar face and body blocked the view of the inside of the office.

"What do you need, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" asked Kusakabe. Tsuna had to crane his neck to look around the tall prefect. Kusakabe shifted to keep Tsuna from seeing anything.

"I-is Hibari in?" asked Tsuna.

"Hibari-san is busy," said Kusakabe flatly.

"S-so he's there?" Tsuna said quietly, the tall teen's glare startling the small brunette a bit. Deciding that Kusakabe wasn't going to let Tsuna come in, Tsuna slipped in between the door and the tall teen and into the office. Hibari lay on the same couch as before, but the head prefect didn't look relaxed.

"Go back to class, herbivore," said Hibari without opening his eyes. Tsuna tensed. Where was the usual threat?

"I…I'm…Hibari, fight me," said Tsuna as firmly as he could. Hibari opened one of his eyes and glared at the small brunette.

"I don't fight forgetful herbivores," said Hibari, and Tsuna had a strange feeling that the head prefect, the terror of all Namimori, was upset. Not angry. Upset. And maybe a little hurt. And then Hibari's glare intensified. Tsuna took a step back. He didn't like fighting with Hibari, no matter what Takeshi said. The daily fights were something that Tsuna had started as a way to keep Hibari from attacking Tamaki. The prefect scared Tsuna, like so many other bullies and people who had gone after Tamaki because of the younger twin's bratty personality. Tamaki was Tsuna's little brother, and Tsuna wasn't going to the younger twin get hurt if Tsuna could stop it.

But then Hana had said that Tsuna could make Hibari stop with one fight, prompting Takeshi to make that strange comment and a cold feeling to sink into Tsuna's stomach. Tsuna couldn't stop fighting Hibari. But not because he wanted to protect Tamaki. Rather because he knew the prefect liked their fights. The prefect somewhere had acknowledged Tsuna as an equal, and Tsuna wanted to live up to that belief. Hibari still scared the small brunette, but Tsuna fought the prefect, letting Fon's training and the heat guide the small brunette through the mess of blows that the prefect showered Tsuna with. And Tsuna had begun to try to predict the direction the prefect's tonfas would come without the heat. Not only to dodge the steel weapons but to execute the maneuvers Fon was teaching the small brunette. Just the defensive maneuvers, because Tsuna knew that if he landed an actual blow on Hibari, things would change. The prefect would be scarier.

Without warning Ryohei had nearly been attacked by the prefect's fiercest attack, and Tsuna had reacted. And now, things had changed. Hibari had hit Tsuna outside a battle and then agreed to take Tsuna along while the prefect disciplined (or in Hibari's words bit) some people to death on the mere promise that Tsuna would fight the prefect for real. That Tsuna would attack the prefect. But then Tsuna had broken that promise.

"Please," said Tsuna gripping the bento in his hands tightly. "Hibari, fight me."

"Get back to class, herbivore," said Hibari, his grey eyes closing again.

"You should listen to him," said Kusakabe, though his tone was not as hard as before.

Tsuna shook his head and placed the bento on a large desk. The small brunette had always let his body go into automatic when he fought. He didn't like fighting. Tsuna only did it when he had to. But Hibari wouldn't be pleased with a thoughtless opponent. And Tsuna wouldn't lose a friend.

With a quick sidestep, Tsuna sent a hand strike towards the lying prefect. His hand met a tonfa that underlined sharp grey eyes.

"I will bite you to death," said the head prefect, and Tsuna's chest loosened.

"Okay," said Tsuna as he caught the second tonfa when it grazed Tsuna's stomach. "Bite me."

* * *

><p>The small brunette was smiling as he said those two words, and an answering flash entered those familiar gray eyes. Kusakabe had seen many expressions on the supposedly expressionless Hibari Kyoya, but that flash was the closest the tall prefect had seen to pleased. Hibari responded by kicking the small brunette backwards. The small brunette flipped and landed on his feet and took out a pair of glasses. Sawada Tsunayoshi had proved to be surprising, but Kusakabe had no idea how giving himself a handicap would help the small brunette do more than gain Hibari's wrath. Strangely, the head prefect stopped and allowed the small brunette to put on an orange pair of gloves. Kusakabe felt a flicker of reluctant awe, because Hibari waited for no one. Wait…was the small brunette's forehead head on fire? And the glasses…when had they been replaced by that orange-tinted aviator visor?<p>

Hibari struck, and Kusakabe lost sense of where the two were. The two were going too fast. They had become blurs to Kusakabe's eyes, and the tall teen focused and watched what was happening. The first glimpse of what the fight might look like came when Hibari flew full force out the open window. The head prefect didn't waste time executing a perfect landing and in leaping at the small brunette who jumped out the window after Hibari. The small brunette dodged the tonfa to his head and the one to his stomach. A leap over the prefect, and the small brunette brushed against the black hair as Hibari ducked the fast brunette's hand strike. Squinting, Kusakabe could make out that the small brunette had curled his fingers in a strange manner as Sawada Tsunayoshi thrust the hand at Hibari's neck. The head prefect leaned back and avoided the blow while bringing up a tonfa to connect with the small brunette's arm. The small brunette pulled his arm back in time, but the tonfa changed direction, and the small brunette spun away from the tonfa. He ended up flying back upwards as the second tonfa knocked into this side.

Wasting no time, Hibari sped to where the small brunette would land and swung another tonfa at the falling figure. Kusakabe blinked. The small brunette hovered inches from the tonfa frozen in mid-air. The gloves in his hands blazed with fire and, if Kusakabe were to guess, were what kept Sawada Tsunayoshi from succumbing to gravity. A second tonfa took a higher arch, and the small brunette flew backwards by pumping more flames into his hands. Hibari gained a sharp grin, and Kusakabe knew that if he didn't get down there, he wouldn't catch anymore of the fight. The problem was that the tall teen couldn't jump from the second story and come out unscathed like those two, so he hurried towards the stairs. Acknowledging that the small brunette had skills that Kusakabe didn't and could keep up with Hibari bothered the older teen. For years, the tall teen had stood beside Hibari, daring to approach the shorter prefect when no one else would. But Kusakabe had never gotten the reactions that the small brunette had from the supposedly emotionless prefect.

When Hibari had come in to the office almost sulking today, Kusakabe had immediately known the cause. And when the cause had appeared outside the Disciplinary Committee office, Kusakabe had tried to keep the small brunette away from the head prefect to minimize the damage. But a few words later, the two were fighting. And Hibari did not hold anything back. The head prefect enjoyed fighting in a way some would find disturbing, but Kusakabe knew that Hibari was different. Even though the head prefect loved to fight, took any excuse to be violent, Hibari never attacked innocents. The head prefect used his tendency for violence to protect, and Kusakabe would stand by Hibari's side to make sure the dangerous teen never became that which Hibari hated above all else. Kuskabe would never let Hibari become like the head prefect's father.

The fight had moved from the school's front yard, and following the sounds, Kusakabe found the battle had continued at the edge of one of Namimori's baseball field. The small brunette had managed to push Hibari against a tree, but the head prefect ducked under another hand strike (the gloves were no longer on fire) and aimed a tonfa at the small brunette's chest which was quickly and firmly blocked, and then Hibari used his second tonfa to attack the small brunette's legs. Sawada Tsunayoshi jumped over the blow, and Hibari used the instant to force the small brunette higher into the air and slip under the small brunette. The small brunette kicked at the raven-haried prefect, but Hibari blocked the blow with his first tonfa. And so the fight continued. The two exchanged blows too fiercely and too quickly to be called a dance. Some moves, especially on Sawada Tsunayoshi's end, came out much too sloppy to be called graceful, and Hibari's movements became, at times, too improvised to be part of any routine. The two didn't slow, not when Hibari's tonfa dug into the small brunette's chest or when Sawada Tsunayoshi's fingers bit into the head prefect's neck. Not when Hibari started to favor his right arm, or the small brunette landed more and more on his left leg rather than his right. Kusakabe watched the fight escalate. He watched as the steel grey eyes that usually went wide and slightly frantic with bloodlust as the violence progressed become narrower, more calculating, focusing on the next move and his opponent instead of how to make the fight more intense, more rewarding. And Kusakabe knew, though part of him didn't want to admit it, that he had gained an ally in his silent duty. So when the small brunette finally broke through the head prefect's defense for an instant and knocked Hibari's head hard enough to render the head prefect unconscious, Kuskabe decided that Sawada Tsunayoshi would be the only non-Disciplinary Committee member given full access to the Disciplinary Committee's office and resources.

* * *

><p>Groaning, Tsuna rolled over and wished that he would stop waking like this. His whole body was crying out in pain, and his skin stretched and complained at every moment with a hot pain. He hadn't felt this bad after fighting Mukuro. But then, Hibari was a totally different sort of opponent, and Tsuna promised himself to never let their spars get that heated again. Tsuna had fulfilled his promise to Hibari. No more intense fights with the volatile prefect. Especially after fighting a swordsman best friend. Too many fights too close together. Tsuna decided never to fight again.<p>

"If you're up, get out," said a voice flatly. Tsuna cracked one eye opened and saw the scowling face of the doctor that had healed Tamaki. "I don't treat men."

The man had said that before too. Why didn't he like treating men?

"Because their bodies aren't interesting enough," said the man, and Tsuna realized he had spoken the question out loud.

"Please," said Tsuna wearily, not even bothering to lift his head. Too too many fights. His stamina had gotten better, but still, it was too many fights. "Let me stay here. You don't have to treat me."

"Only cute honeys get to use the bed," said the picky doctor. "And you should get back to class before my annoying former student starts to worry."

Considering that the man only dealt with women, Tsuna didn't know who he was referring to. The "annoying student" had to be a girl, right? Hana wouldn't have anything to do with the "perverted doctor" and kept Kyoko from getting anywhere near the school infirmary. There was that girl, Haru, but Tsuna didn't know her well enough and she went to another school. So who did the doctor mean?

"I told you to get up and get lost, kid," said the doctor. And Tsuna pushed up on his elbows and propped himself up into a sitting position. A hiss escaped his lips. The man grunted and turned back to a paper filled desk. "If that pompadoured brat from the Discipline Committee hadn't insisted on dropping you here, you wouldn't be hogging one of my beds."

"Kusakabe-san?" Tsuna asked, his voice a bit raspy. It was starting to hurt to talk. The doctor gave Tsuna an unamused glare, and Tsuna guessed that meant yes. The small brunette managed to swing his legs over to the side of his bed, when the doctor clicked his tongue in a very familiar way which Tsuna would have been able to place if the small brunette's mind was spinning less.

"Looks like my annoying former student has returned," said the doctor, and the door to the infirmary slammed open. And Tsuna found out he couldn't even jump in surprise.

"That's it, perverted doctor. Use your mosquitos to help me find him, or I'll call _Madre_ now!" yelled an all too familiar voice. Tsuna would have said something to calm the bomber down, but the room had continued spinning. Was it this hard to breathe a second ago?

"If you use a threat too much, it will lose its effectiveness, you know," said the doctor lazily. "Besides, your precious Tsuna-sama has been here for the last fifteen minutes."

"Why didn't you tell me!" yelled Gokudera quickly pulling back the curtain that had hidden the bomber from sight. Or maybe it was hidden Tsuna from sight. The exhaustion must be making Tsuna see things, because two pairs of green eyes looked at him with horrified worry. Maybe one was dark hazel, kind of like Yamamoto-san's. But Yamamoto-san's eyes were darker and not so analyzing. "Tsuna-sama?"

Gokudera's voice sounded like a choking cat. Tsuna moved his lips in an attempt to say he was fine, but his lips wouldn't work. And neither did his arms. He fell forward. But it was still fine because he didn't fall hard, though he flinched when his forehead met something solid. At least it was warm. Everything was getting so cold all of a sudden.

"Tsuna-sama!" came Gokudera's voice loudly in his ear. It was so weird to hear perfectly but not be able to respond. Maybe if Tsuna was telepathic, Gokudera would know that Tsuna was all right. That Tsuna was always okay. Even when he wasn't. "He's burning! Do something pervert doctor!"

"Calm down," said the doctor. Or was it the doctor? That lazy, playful tone was gone, so it wasn't the doctor, only someone who could use his voice.

"I would listen to him," said a deep voice that sounded like Reborn. But Reborn didn't do worried, and that's what Tsuna heard with his perfectly working hearing.

"He was fine earlier," said the doctor-like voice. It held frantic sounds. Gripping things touched Tsuna's shoulders, and Tsuna would have flinched again. But his brain couldn't communicate to his body just like Tsuna couldn't communicate with Gokudera. The gripping things had his body fall the other way and the uncommunicated whimper bounced in Tsuna's brain. His whole body screamed to his brain in pain. "He was suffering from mild exhaustion, but that was to be expected after the abuse he put his body through fighting the prefect."

"Where is that man?" asked Gokudera in a hiss, and Tsuna made his brain listen to the bomber's words. It couldn't keep listening to his body's screams or it would stop. And everything was dark enough already.

"The pompadoured right hand man of his carried the unconscious prefect somewhere else after saying that he would prefer to wake in Namimori hospital," said the doctor-like voice. "And before you go off gallivanting after opponents who outclass you, the symptoms do not indicate that this situation has anything to do with their fight."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Gokudera, and the screaming sounded weak against the firmness of his voice. "I just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't attack Tsuna-sama now."

"I doubt that the prefect would attack him now," said the doctor-like voice in an amused tone that sounded more like the doctor. "Even if he could."

"And the brat's disease?" asked the Reborn-like voice.

"I ran the necessary tests," said the doctor-like voice. "Their genetic code is similar, but it isn't exact. They are fraternal, not identical, and the gene associated with FMF is not present in his DNA as it is in his brother."

"The moronic immitation's disease is genetic," said Gokudera, and Tsuna could almost see the paleness of the bomber's face. Tsuna hung to the sound of the horrified voice even as he wanted to soothe it. He was okay. He was fine. He didn't need the bomber to worry. He didn't need anyone to worry.

"You have ears and a brain between them for a reason," said the doctor-like voice. "I just finished saying that the gene for that disease is not in your Tsuna-sama's genetic code. This is different. He doesn't have a fever for one thing. And he appears to have burns all over his body."

"He had those yesterday," said the hitman-like voice with that strange concern. Tsuna was fine. He needed to say that, or they would keep sounding unnecessarily worried. "It appears to be a side effect of him using the Dying Will flames."

"You never shot him, did you?" said the doctor-like voice, and the screams were confusing him. He could almost see a dark frown on Reborn's face.

"What would Reborn-san have to shoot Tsuna-sama?" asked Gokudera, an irritation coating his words and covering the screams. He didn't sound less worried, but he was less panicked. Tsuna should thank the doctor-like voice when he recovered the use of his lips.

"He never contracted the Skull disease," said the doctor-like voice. "So his body didn't undergo the changes necessary to wield the flames with his body. Didn't you realize that unprotected skin becomes burned with the Dying Will Flames unless there is a proper conduit."

"Leon made the gloves and glasses to take care of that," said the hitman-like voice. The pain nearly raged for attention, and Tsuna knew that it wouldn't stop. But he had to tell them he was okay. Before the screams became too much.

"They were made with flames incompatible to the Vongola's," said the doctor-like voice. "They would work fine if it had been his brother's, since his body has been prepared for it, but it looks like the overdose of flames coming from this one's body has burnt it and probably caused damage internally."

"Then fix it," said the hitman-like voice.

"And don't you dare say you don't treat men!" growled Gokudera, overcoming the increasing screams. Tsuna was fine. He would be fine.

"As if either of you would let me," said the doctor-like voice with fake reluctance. "Let me knock him out first. He seems to be in great pain."

"Pain?" said Gokudera, the horrified tone returning. Tsuna pushed back the quieted screams and focused on open his mouth. He had to tell Gokudera the truth. He had to tell the two other voices that he was fine. That he would be fine. He had to be fine. "Tsuna-sama!"

"Dame-Tsuna," came the hitman-like voice, or maybe it really was Reborn. It sounded just like him. "If you so much as say anything that would defile the Vongola name…"

The threat should have caused the screaming to roar, but it whimpered and quieted further.

"Knock him out," said Reborn, and the screaming stopped.

* * *

><p>Gokudera stared at the sleeping figure. The perverted doctor had rendered the small brunette unconscious half an hour ago. Shamal had taken several vials of blood via those mosquitos of his, and the man muttered like he did when facing a difficult puzzle. Many years had passed since Gokudera had heard that muttering, and if it had been anyone but Tsuna-sama on that bed, Gokudera would have left. But it was Tsuna-sama on that bed.<p>

"Don't you have someone to report to," said the perverted doctor, ceasing the stupid nostalgic muttering. "From what I saw, there were more people in that house who would worry about your precious 'Tsuna-sama' than just you."

"I'm not leaving Tsuna-sama alone with you," said Gokudera.

"He's been alone with me before," said Shamal with that stupid vulgar grin.

"If you touch him, I will kill you," growled Gokudera.

"How am I supposed to treat him then?" asked the perverted doctor.

"Enough. You can taunt the boy later," said Reborn. The sun arcobaleno had come back from wherever he had gone.

"Ah," sighed the perverted doctor. "Such hard taskmasters I have."

"Then just finish already!" yelled Gokudera.

"If it were that easy, I would have finished half an hour ago," said the perverted doctor. "Why would I want two men hanging over my shoulder? I would much prefer—"

A gun shot, and metal shattered.

"Please stop killing them," said Shamal, flipping his hair unnecessarily. "I don't have an unlimited number."

"Stop wasting time," said Reborn, a Beretta 92FS pistol in his hand. Gokudera's respect for the hitman rose. The perverted doctor clicked his tongue and went back to muttering. Unfortunately, the perverted doctor had a point. The stupid wench would had to be wondering where they were, and she would no doubt drown them in needless words if she found out that Tsuna-sama was bedridden and no one told her.

"Reborn-san," said Gokudera quietly. The hitman's dark black eyes focused on the bomber. "Please watch over Tsuna-sama until I return."

"Of course," said the hitman with a smirk. "He's my student after all."

"I'm hurt you both don't trust me," said Shamal. He frowned at the two glares. "Right, right. Get back to work."

Ignoring the perverted doctor, Gokudera started for the classroom. The bell for lunch should go off in three minutes. And the stupid wench and the other girl would definitely come looking for them. He would cut them off and inform them of the situation.

"There you are," said a familiar irate voice. Apparently, the stupid wench was not in the classroom. "I expected you back by now. You've missed two classes. And where is Tsuna?"

"Quiet down, stupid wench," growled Gokudera, before turning back to the infirmary hands in pockets. "Tsuna-sama is this way."

"And why did you leave him alone?" snapped the stupid wench. Gokudera clenched his jaw and said nothing. The stupid wench wasn't wrong. He shouldn't have gotten distracted by that turf top and lost sight of Tsuna-sama. He stomped ahead of the stupid wench until they reached the infirmary where he yanked open the door.

"Tsuna-sama in here," said Gokudera, his irritation coloring his tone. The stupid wench's face darkened, and she crossed her arms and clenched her elbows.

"What did he do this time?" she asked less sharply. The stupid wench didn't do a good job covering her worry.

"He fought with that man," answered Gokudera, keeping his voice down so that he wouldn't wake Tsuna-sama. The stupid wench's white knuckled grip had nothing to do with it. She gave a sharp nod and strode over to where Tsuna-sama lay.

"We can't let you out of our sight," whispered the stupid wench.

"And who are you honey?" asked Shamal, getting up from his seat and moving in a terribly familiar way. Gokudera inserted himself in the perverted doctor's path.

"Back off," said the bomber, making sure his explosives peeked out from under his jacket and that his other hand could reach the gel box. "She's off limits."

"Oh," said Shamal, a glint in his dark hazel eyes that made Gokduera throw a few choice explosives at the man. Too bad such a move would probably be rendered ineffective by the man. "Do I need to schedule time to have that talk?"

"No!" yelled Gokduera, his face feeling as if it had exploded. "I'm not you, pervert! She's Tsuna-sama's woman."

"I am no one's woman," said the stupid wench sharply. "And if you continue on that topic, I will report your behavior to the principal."

Gokudera turned to snap at the wench that he hadn't done anything wrong, but he saw her hard glare fixed on the perverted doctor.

"You caught quite a feisty one there, Hayato-kun," said Shamal. "I'm so jealous."

"You will be jealous of his ability to breathe if you don't get back to what you were doing," said Reborn. Gokudera cursed inwardly. The bomber had not taken good stock of the area and had overlooked and forgotten the hitman positioned on a small armchair next to Tsuna-sama's head. The hitman still had the Beretta 92FS pointed at the doctor's head.

"Okay, okay," said the perverted doctor, running his fingers through his hair in a way women sometimes found charming. The stupid wench rolled her eyes and went to stand in front of Reborn. The perverted doctor frowned and huffed as he sat back at the desk.

"What happened?" the wench asked Reborn.

"Dame-Tsuna overstrained himself and caused some unknown damage to his body," said Reborn, the Beretta 92FS continuing to lazily point at the perverted doctor. The wench narrowed her eyes, and Gokudera wanted to growl that she had no right to disbelieve the hitman's word. But the sight of the figure laying on the bed kept his mouth shut. Sighing, the wench sat on the edge of Tsuna-sama's bed. Before Gokudera could call her out on her disrespect, she cut him off.

"I think we need to organize shifts," she said.

"What are you talking about, stupid wench?" asked Gokudera.

"Him," she answered, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder at the unconscious figure. "Until he learns to behave himself, he needs to be babysat. Otherwise, we'll keep finding ourselves in this situation."

"Che," muttered Gokduera. He hated to agree with the wench, but she was right. Tsuna-sama could not end up in another bed with unknown injuries. "Fine. We'll need the baseball idiot and Lancia-san."

"And Fon-san, Yamamoto-san, and it would probably be wise to include the brats too," said the wench. "They can make Tsuna stay out of trouble by involving him in their stupid little kid problems."

"What about the other women?" said Gokudera. He didn't want to deal with them, but this operation would go smoother if all the resources were used.

"Kyoko and Haru?" said the wench, leaning her head into her hand. "They could come in handy. Haru could probably keep him occupied by trying to drag him on her and Kyoko's outings. She would love to try and set Tsuna up with Kyoko. The girl supports Kyoko's crush to an almost frightening degree."

Gokudera frowned. The bomber didn't like the idea of anyone setting up Tsuna-sama. Tsuna-sama could pick his own woman whenever he was ready. But if it kept the small brunette distracted and out of doctor (especially perverted ones) care, Gokudera would allow the stupid woman to drag Tsuna-sama to as many set ups as she wanted.

"You should try to find 'Uncle Kawahira' as well," said Reborn with a smirk. "And you should include _Mamma_."

"Tsuna's mother?" said the stupid wench, her brows crinkling in disbelief. Gokudera wasn't one to questions those who were his obvious superiors, but involving Tsuna-sama's mother…did not sound like a good idea. As much as Gokudera respected her for bearing Tsuna-sama (and putting up with the moronic imitation), the woman had no awareness what went on in her eldest son's life.

"She needs to be more involved in her son's life," said the hitman. "And she works well with the elder Yamamoto."

Gokudera exchanged glances with the stupid wench. The hitman wasn't wrong. Tsuna-sama would also benefit from having his mother actually pay attention to him instead of the moronic imitation. The two nodded in unison, and the wench stood.

"Let's continue this at Takesushi," said the wench. She glanced back at Reborn. "You will keep an eye on him."

"Dame-Tsuna's not going anywhere," said the hitman and waved the Beretta 92FS at Shamal. "And neither is he."

With one last nod, the wench exited the infirmary. Gokudera hesitated and looked back at the hitman. The bomber decided that it would be best to ask the question now, since he didn't think he would get a better chance.

"Reborn-san," said Gokudera quietly. "Are you…Is Tsuna-sama a candidate to be the Vongola Decimo?"

"I would not train him to be anything else," said the hitman. The bomber clenched his fists and fought his falling stomach. He should feel joy at the declaration. His childhood dream might still come true. But…he glanced at the unconscious figure on the bed. A snort drew his attention back to the hitman. "Dame-Tsuna is an idiot. He either acts before he thinks or thinks too much and doesn't act. His heart is the softest I have ever seen and completely unsuitable for the mafia world. But he will become one of the best bosses anyone has ever seen."

"And if he doesn't want to?" asked the bomber. The resulting glare made him take a step back, fear and respect for the hitman overcoming the bomber. But he wouldn't take the question back. He had to know the answer. He had to hear it, for Tsuna-sama.

"He doesn't have a choice," said the hitman, the fedora shading his eyes. "No one lies to the Vindice."

"If the Vindice have believed Tsuna-sama's deception for all this time," said Gokudera, "they probably will continue to. They have not returned for Lancia-san, so they have most likely found him innocent. So Tsuna-sama has a choice."

"He has no choice," said the hitman, the Beretta 92FS now pointed at Gokudera's head. The bomber didn't budge.

"Tsuna-sama doesn't need the mafia," said Gokudera. "The moronic imitation could do it."

"And what do you think that would solve?" said the hitman, his voice low and dark. "I thought you of all people you would not be so naïve. Dame-Tsuna will not escape the mafia, no matter what that stupid father of his hoped. The brat would not honor the deal the Ninth made. Or if he did, his idiocy would cause Dame-Tsuna to become involved anyway. Even if I had fifty years, I could not prepare the brat for the position of leader of the world's most powerful mafia _famiglia_. No one can teach an unteachable student. It is too late to keep the brat out of the mafia completely, and so he will become CEDEF."

"Why not make Tsuna-sama head of the CEDEF?" asked Gokudera, because one did not demand things of the world's greatest hitman. The CEDEF was mafia, but the organization lay in the outskirts of the mafia. The Vongola _famiglia_ stood at the center of all mafia.

"You have seen what happens when the brat finds himself in a position above his brother," said Reborn. Gokudera's fist clenched, but the bomber could think of no answer to give the hitman. The Beretta 92FS pointed back to Shamal. "Not bad. A good subordinate puts his boss above all else."

Gokudera spun and did not run for the door. Those words should not make him so deliriously happy.

* * *

><p>AN: I suggest you check out this fanart: (ht*tp*:/*/kotei*-heika-chrome-d.*devian*tart.*com*/art*/Twin*-Skies*-303870724) by removing the *'s. Otherwise you might miss something really good.


	30. Traitorous Acts

Chapter 30: _Traitorous Acts_

He had waited patiently once he realized what was going on. They were leaving. One by one, they had started to go. They all had valid excuses. One had to move because his father got transferred. Another had gotten lucky in business and moved to Tokyo to advance further. Others were forced to run from the police for a mission gone wrong. The group was falling apart. And also, the strange child that was the boss's advisor had appeared less and less. Some might say he was jumping to conclusions. Some of the others had simply reacted to the boss's three day absence and taken the chance to leave, to find better "employment." Not all had gone. The three idiots and their tag-along had stayed. And so had most of the former Momokyokai members who had begged entrance into the boss's group. They had wanted the boss's protection from some demon teens or something. Kaido hadn't really found their stories that interesting, and he didn't like the thought that someone else could etch such lovely expressions of fear simply by being mentioned. The thought didn't stop Kaido from using his position in the group to threaten to expulse them. He loved watching those scared stiff expressions, whatever the cause may be.

But Kaido had bigger ambitions. He remembered the face that so briefly filled his heart with undeterminable glee. It had stretched and contorted, and the legs under it had shaken so violently that the body had fallen backwards. And then that smell…He wanted to smell it again. And again and again. The desire had only grown, and now it seemed to be in his grasp. Before, there had been the boss's advisor (who Kaido knew wasn't a real child, because the boss's advisor could never be scared into wearing that beautiful air of terror that was so easy to manipulate out of children). No one could dispute that for all the abuse that the small advisor would heap on the boss, the fake child would not allow any harm to come to the short brunette. The first time someone with a knife had tried to attack the boss while the short brunette slept, the child had shot the attacker in the leg and muttered something about unpleasant jobs. So no one had tried again. But where before the fake child rarely left the boss's side (even when he couldn't be seen, he was there), the boss's advisor had taken to leaving the boss alone. The boss didn't act like he cared, but Kaido could see it. The flicker of fear in the once unshakeable eyes.

The flicker remained even at this moment while the boss sat in his chair after issuing the day's orders. Everyone else had left, as Kaido had pretended to. They would return in their respective times, and Kaido would use their returns to his advantage. His mind said that he should wait, in case the fake child decided to return today. But he couldn't. The desire wouldn't let him. He didn't like risk, but he would take it this once. Because he wanted to see it, touch it, hear it, _smell_ it. The boss's fear. To see that easy-to-read face twist and contort and those usually narrowed brown eyes widen to their full extent. To feel his blade vibrate with that small body's shaking and the clamminess that would appear on that quivering skin. To hear the whimpers of pain and the shrill voice reaching girlish levels. And to smell that acrid air of fear and the almost unnoticeable salty invigorating scent that people gave off when they were the most afraid.

The short brunette leaned back in his chair, his face twisting in something similar to fear but much less pleasing.

"Aniki," the brunette sighed. His brown eyes narrowed. "You're doing something stupid. I'm going to have to teach you that lesson again then."

"'Aniki' again," said Kaido, making his presence known. The boss jumped as the short brunette always did at Kaido's sudden appearance. The flicker flashed in the brown eyes, but then the eyes narrowed into irritation. Kaido smirked, hoping to shatter through the mask of irritation, but it was too well-crafted. "One would think this 'aniki' is important to you."

"He's not," said the boss flatly, only flinching slightly as Kaido came nearer. "He's annoying and weak. He's always caused me problems."

"Would he be the 'Dame-Tsuna' that little Mochida talks about?" said the albino. He stepped into the boss's personal space.

"What have I told you about coming close to me? And why are you not out doing your mission," demanded the boss so fiercely that he would have distracted most from the renewed flicker in his eyes. But Kaido's desire grew.

"I heard you two are twins," said Kaido. He leaned so over his boss, and the short brunette pulled his brass knuckles out of his pocket and swung them at Kaido. The albino caught the swing easily. He had studied his boss for months and had long realized that the short brunette was only half as strong without the fake child was around. The irritated mask cracked but it didn't disappear. "I heard that he's pathetic and bullied by everyone, including you. And yet I've also heard that you've used him for a decoy for when others come after you. "

"And why would that matter?" said the boss, and Kaido grabbed his second arm as it headed for the albino's side. The mask cracked a little more as the short brunette's face strained and flinched.

"Because," whispered Kaido, making his voice little better than a hiss. He pulled the short brunette closer and leaned in so that Kaido's lips brushed the short brunette's ear. A dark thrill shot through the albino as he picked up _that_ scent faintly coming from the short brunette. "Who would hide behind a weakling but a coward?"

"You don't know anything!" yelled the short brunette, kicking wildly at the albino. With little effort, the albino adjusted the momentum of the kick and knocked the short brunette of the chair. Kaido let go of the brunette's arms and watched as the short teen scooted backwards. "Get back!"

Kaido stretched his lips into something he knew was too wide for a grin, and the mask shook.

"It's alright, my dear boss," said the albino, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his beloved knife. "I like cowards."

* * *

><p>Tsuna shot up and bumped his forehead with something.<p>

"You shouldn't make any sudden movements," said a muffled high-pitched voice. Taking a breath to calm his frantic heartbeat, Tsuna could focus on what was in front of him. Dr. Shamal stood over the small brunette holding his nose. He continued to talk in that nasally high-pitch. "The regenerative biotics do not work that fast. You need to let them merge with your body. But after that the change should take care of the side effects."

The small brunette had no idea what the doctor was talking about, but Tsuna couldn't stop and ask the doctor to repeat it. Something was wrong. Very very wrong. This feeling was worse than the one with Hibari or coming out of the hospital. Tsuna's stomach dropped. Tamaki. Something was wrong with Tamaki.

Throwing off the covers, Tsuna made to stand. He was still in the infirmary. Where was Tamaki's base? No one had ever told the small brunette about the younger twin's base, but Tamaki had mentioned it in passing once or twice.

"Lay back down," said the doctor, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders. Tsuna jerked out of the grip and shot a dark look at the doctor, freezing him in place.

"No."

The word filled the whole room and allowed Tsuna to get to his feet. A bullet passed in front of him and stopped him from taking another step forward.

"Where do you think you are going?" asked Reborn. Tsuna shot the hitman a hard look.

"Why aren't you with Tamaki?"

"The brat can take care of himself," said the hitman, his voice deepening further. The fierce pride in the hitman's eyes would have made Tsuna back off, but this was about Tamaki.

"Reborn," Tsuna said quietly. "Please check on Tamaki."

"You're a million years too early to boss me around, Dame-Tsuna," said the hitman with a glare that nearly made Tsuna squeak in terror. But the dark cold cold feeling swiveled in Tsuna's stomach and wouldn't let the small brunette stop.

"Tamaki. He's in trouble. Please, Reborn," said Tsuna. The hitman grunted and hid the glare under the rim of his fedora. The door to the infirmary opened and interrupted whatever the hitman might have said next.

"I heard I had to pick something up here," said a very familiar voice.

"Yamamoto-san," said Tsuna surprised. The sushi chef grinned at a doorway, and the sight dulled the edge of the ice swishing under his skin.

"What took you so long?" asked Reborn. "Did those two take too long to explain the situation?"

"Not really," said Yamamoto-san. "But it took quite a long time to convince Takeshi to stay put. He only agreed because I promised I'd bring Tsuna back to Takesushi."

"W-what are you talking about, Yamamoto-san?" asked Tsuna, worried about what the hitman might have roped the older man into.

"You're coming with me," said Yamamoto-san with that classic Yamamoto grin.

"W-what?"

"Your friends have decided that since you can't seem to stay out of trouble that we're going to have to take steps to keep this from happening again."

"T-this?" said Tsuna, suddenly realizing that he was once again in an unfamiliar bed that smelled too clean. He vaguely remembered being in the infirmary, but the thoughts were unclear and clouded. He did remember why he had ended up here. "I…um…owed H-Hibari a f-fight and—"

A gunshot cut the small brunette off as he screeched and fell back to avoid it.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself," said Reborn. "Use speech becoming of a mafia boss or don't speak at all."

"He used his flames to the point of burning his body in his fight against the prefect," said Shamal, distracting Yamamoto-san from the new bullet hole in the wall. "After the regenerative biotics settle, it shouldn't be a problem anymore."

"Oh, are you Gokudera-kun's doctor friend?" asked the sushi chef.

"So the brat talks about me then," said the doctor, sounding amused.

"Takeshi mentioned you from when you healed Tsuna's brother," said Yamamoto-san. "He said that Gokudera-kun recommended you highly and that you did a good job."

"That brat should keep his recommendations to himself," said the doctor scowling. "I don't like treating men."

"Really?" said the sushi chef with a curious expression that sharpened around the edges. "So why did you heal Tsuna's brother?"

"Someone gave me no other choice," said the doctor with a pointed look at Reborn who wore a too-innocent expression. "The same reason I healed this hard-headed child. I do not like wasting my time on those who cannot see what is right in front of them."

"He is a hard headed child," said Yamamoto as the grin returned to the older man's face and softened the sharpness. "But we'll break through that hard head somehow."

Tsuna didn't know whether to feel mortified that he was being talked about like he wasn't even in the room or worried about what the men meant when they said "hard headed." And Yamamoto's comment didn't set well with Tsuna at all. How did Yamamoto-san and the others plan to do to "break through"?

"Take your more troublesome child home before your other one decides to come check on him," said Reborn, leaping onto Tsuna's head and kicking the boy lightly. "This one's caused enough trouble here."

A heat invaded Tsuna's cheeks as he realized what the hitman had been implying. Tsuna opened his mouth to tell the hitman to stop implying ridiculous things and apologize to the sushi chef for his tu-his brother's tutor's rudeness. But a chuckle stopped the words before Tsuna could fully form them.

"You're probably right," said the sushi chef, the grin strangely softer after the man's chuckles. "Takeshi could barely sit still when I left him. He's never been one for waiting and doing nothing."

Tsuna stared at the man, whose warm dark hazel eyes met Tsuna's brown with an unexpected kind of fondness. Instantly, Tsuna looked down and hid behind his hair. The heat in his cheeks warmed further, and the small brunette gripped his sheets. A hand ruffled his hair as the growing familiar weight on his head disappeared.

"Let's go home before Takeshi and the others decide to come charge and see what new trouble your hard head has gotten you into," said Yamamoto-san, and Tsuna dared to peek upwards through his brown bangs. The man's grin had shrunken to a much softer and warmer smile, but the fondness still shone in the older man's eyes. Tsuna hadn't been imagining it. Immediately, Tsuna's brain screamed to pull away from that affectionate hand, from that almost father-like…. No, Yamamoto-san didn't need to do this. Yamamoto-san shouldn't do this for Tsuna. Tsuna shouldn't want this type of affection. Especially from this man. Not from his Takeshi's "old man." But…it would be okay. This one time would be okay. The man was just following along with Reborn's stupid teasing. And Tsuna could pretend just this once.

"O-okay," said Tsuna as he swung his legs to the opposite side of where Takeshi's father stood. The cold cold feeling washed back through Tsuna's whole being, and Tsuna instantly turned to Reborn.

"Don't give me that face, Dame-Tsuna," the hitman warned. Tsuna blinked. The small brunette wasn't making any particular face that he was aware of. Buckling down the sudden urge to find a mirror, the small brunette gazed fixedly on the hitman. The hitman scoffed. "Get going. Your best friend might hurt himself coming to get you."

Tsuna's gaze flickered an instant to Yamamoto-san, whose grin had been replaced with a serious look. So the hitman wasn't bluffing, but…

"So the rumors about the sun arcobaleno taking his jobs seriously were exaggerated," said the sushi chef, and Tsuna forgot to breathe for a second. The hitman's expression had gone from irritated to something like shock before quickly turning to suspicion. Yamamoto-san merely grinned. "I guess I got confused. Fon must have been talking about the rain arcobaleno then."

"That idiot couldn't take anything seriously with those love-sickening ideas of his," Reborn said coming close to something Tsuna might call a growl, but Tsuna doubted the hitman ever growled. "And Fon should learn to keep his mouth shut before he says something he will never have a chance to regret."

The hitman turned away from them and tapped on the wall making part of it open as if it were a hatch.

"Go to Takesushi," said the hitman. "I'll meet you there."

Staring at the now plain looking wall, Tsuna wondered exactly why the coldness had lessened. The hitman hadn't agreed to go to look for Tamaki, but Tsuna knew that the hitman had gone to do just that.

"Quite a tricky tutor you have, Tsuna," said Yamamoto-san. Tsuna sighed as he stared at the wall.

"He's my brother's tutor," Tsuna mumbled, his thoughts still stirred inside him. "Tamaki's going to be the Vongola Decimo. Not me."

Now if only the feeling would believe that too.

* * *

><p>Reborn did not like being manipulated. He prided himself on only doing what he himself decided to do. That is why he had the reputation of taking his jobs seriously. He never took on a job he wasn't going to be serious about. Even the Ninth requested Reborn to take assignments, not ordered. The man could have ordered Reborn, of course. The hitman had sworn his life to Vongola. But the Ninth respected the hitman's wishes, like a good boss should. It was one of the many reasons that the brat would have made a terrible boss. Under the right conditions (a good influence and a restraining force), the brat would make a good enough Mafioso. The brat had a solid mind behind his idiocies (the brat had effectively run his pathetic gang fairly well for months under Reborn's enforced tutelage), and the ability the brat had to destroy carelessly the lives around him could be taught to be used against enemies. But the brat wouldn't be taught. He walked around as if he had his eyes closed. The brat imagined himself above everyone else, and that conceit had only gotten worse in the recent weeks. The last few days, despite Reborn slowly pulled strings to disband the brat's group, the brat had barely noticed, too involved in doing whatever he wanted. And even when he had noticed, he hadn't pursued his subordinates. He had assumed he would make new ones.<p>

The hitman had thought such an action would wake the brat up and perhaps make the brat realize that he needed to work harder. And if the by-product of said action showed what a pathetic leader the brat was, then no one could question the hitman's motive for filing a serious objection to Tamaki's cadency. Reborn had the best intentions and "aided" his student in continually pointing out said brat's weaknesses. So if the persistence of said weakness worried Reborn, no one could blame the hitman for filing the proper paperwork. And if those weaknesses that worried the hitman lead to the brat not having any semblance of a _famiglia_ of his own, then the question of his cadency would have to be given more consideration. Having his former student nearby as a witness would only strengthen Reborn's story. Reborn frowned slightly at the thought that his former student could be so easily manipulated, but the hitman knew that the lessons that the Chiavarone boss had to learn were near endless. And he did not abandon his students so easily, however annoying they were. He finally reached the warehouse the brat had chosen months ago as a base and went in one of the many secret tunnels built in to keep an eye on the brat. He didn't plan to stay long. That face, the pleading and terrified brown eyes, could only keep the hitman here long enough to check on the brat and then leave.

The warehouse was empty. The chair where the brat sat as if he was king was turned over and stains marked the floor around it. Reborn didn't have to get closer to examine the stains. He knew by the scent drifting in the air what had made them. Blood. Not much of it, but enough. The brat wouldn't bleed to death from wounds that left so little blood. There was another scent, and that one made Reborn snort in disgust. The brat was a complete coward to the end. Still, the Vongola hyper intuition was more effective than Reborn had first thought. Now to find the brat and hopefully hand the brat back to his brother in one piece, because it didn't take a genius to know what would happen should the brat be in a condition less than satisfactory. Those pleading, terrified eyes were all the proof one needed to know what would happen.

Given the extent and splatter of the stains, the brat had been kept here a while. And then moved to another location. And considering the short list of who was left in the brat's group, Reborn didn't have a problem knowing exactly who had taken the brat and why. The hitman went straight to where he knew the problem would be.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was worried. Actually, worried was probably to tame a word for what Tsuna was. He kept losing badly, and while real world games almost always ended in loss for Tsuna, he was actually pretty good at virtual ones. Maybe it was because in virtual ones no one else was watching, except Takeshi of course.<p>

"Tsuna, it's your team's turn to bat," said Takeshi.

"Hm? Oh. Sorry," said Tsuna as he pressed a button on the controller. The worst batter on Tsuna's team came up to bat.

"Tsuna," Takeshi said.

"Yes?"

"Did you mean to put Uegano up to bat?"

"Uegano?" Tsuna said and looked at the screen. The brown eyes remained unfocused and jittery. "Um…no?"

"Tsuna," said Takeshi, and the jittery eyes turned to the swordsman. "Your head's not in the game tonight."

"Sorry, Takeshi," said Tsuna, genuine regret coloring the brown eyes dark. "I wanted to play with you especially because it's baseball but…I don't think I can…"

"That's fine," said Takeshi with a grin. "I already gave up baseball."

Tsuna flinched, but at least the small brunette hadn't said anything. Hana was right. They still had a lot of work to do. The two sat in silence as Tsuna constantly glanced at the door. Hana and Gokudera had made Tsuna promise to stay at Takesushi until he had gotten better. Tsuna hadn't wanted to stay. He said that Tamaki was in trouble. The other two insisted that Tamaki was fine and left Takeshi to keep an eye on Tsuna. But Tsuna wasn't going to rest until Tamaki was safe for sure.

"So where's the kid?" asked Takeshi.

"Reborn?" said Tsuna softly. He fiddled with the remote in his hand. "I…I think he went to check up on Tamaki."

"Tamaki?" said Takeshi. "That sounds interesting. What was the kid going to check on?"

"He…he went to make sure that Tamaki's okay," said Tsuna, and the brown eyes shifted back to the door. If Takeshi could, he would let the younger Sawada wherever he was. But the young swordsman knew that Tsuna needed to know that Tamaki was all right. And if Tsuna needed it, Takeshi would try to get it.

"Want to ask Fon if the kid's found him yet?" asked Takeshi. The martial artist and the hitman had some secret form of communication, probably because they were both teaching Tsuna.

Tsuna shook his head and fiddled with the video game controller. Takeshi made no move to pick up his controller, and so Tsuna clenched the remote and nodded.

"Then let's go ask," said Takeshi grinning as he stood and headed for the door.

* * *

><p>The boss's advisor had been in the warehouse. Kaido knew of the fake child's visit because the security feed for the warehouse was directly tied to his phone due to Konai's helpful assistance. Despite the older teen's tough exterior, the bald idiot had a head for computers. The boss had no idea, of course, so the advisor should be in the dark about the bald idiot's technical talents. So the fake child had started looking for the boss. That would make things difficult, but only for a while. Kaido hated doing things the hard way, but if that allowed him to take the easy way in the end, it didn't matter.<p>

A yelp seemed to punctuate the point, and Kaido grinned as the three idiots enjoyed the reward for their work. The bleach-haired one stuck a foot right into the quivering brunette's diaphragm, blasting air out of the smaller teen's lungs. Kaido had warned them not to injure the boss too much. After all, Kaido didn't plan on stopping at any hospitals as he hitched a ride with the kendo captain's family when they moved to Hong Kong. But the three idiots were apparently getting carried away.

Kaido silently slipped over to where the dreadlocked teen and put a hand on the one the dreadlocked idiot had pulled back to punch the whimpering brunette's face. The dreadlocked teen's face went from stretched thin with ugly satisfaction to a lovely white pinched expression, one of Kaido's favorite fearful expressions.

"I told you," said Kaido in a lovely new hiss he had perfected an hour ago when he had used it to whisper into the short brunette's ear as he acquainted the boss with the albino's favorite knife. "You have to leave my toy in at least fair condition." He reached down and pulled the squirming brunette to a standing position. Kaido enjoyed the feeling of the smaller teen chaffing against his bonds to try to get away from the albino. The duct tape over the boss's mouth looked especially uncomfortable for the short brunette as the boss tried to scream, to command Kaido to drop the boss. As if Kaido would obey such a command from the shaking brunette. He patted the fluffy and slightly bloodied brown hair. The brunette cringed, sending a thrill through Kaido's heart. "Don't worry. I don't let anyone truly harm my dolls but me."

The short brunette silently screamed.

* * *

><p>As Tsuna followed the young swordsman downstairs, the small brunette felt the sickly cold (or was it heat) increase to a churning ice under Tsuna's skin. The small brunette tripped and nearly fell down the stairs, but Takeshi grabbed the small brunette's elbow and kept Tsuna from falling head down the stairs. "You okay, Tsuna?"<p>

"Yeah," said Tsuna tiredly, balancing himself with the railing. Takeshi frowned, letting Tsuna know that the swordsman didn't believe the small brunette, but let go of the elbow and let Tsuna straighten himself out. The two entered the kitchen and continued to the dining area.

"…don't have to do that," said Yamamoto-san's voice. "The restaurant wasn't that busy today."

"Tsuna-sama would want me to help as much as possible," said Gokudera's voice. "So I will collect and clean these dishes with all my might."

"I don't think that the help will go amiss, old friend," said Fon's voice. "You look more tired than normal today."

"That's what I get for having such rambunctious boys," said Yamamoto-san. The sushi chef sounded strangely proud of that fact. "I'll let you finish here then while I go make sure everything else is set for tomorrow."

"Leave it to me, Yamamoto-san," said Gokudera in that eager tone that he usually reserved for Tsuna and Reborn. But then, Tsuna had told Gokudera to help Yamamoto-san, and Gokudera liked Yamamoto-san because the man had trained and kept Tsuna safe. At least that's the excuse that Gokudera gave, but Tsuna thought that maybe Gokudera respected Yamamoto-san for being Yamamoto-san.

The door to the dining area opened, and dark hazel eyes narrowed when the Yamamoto-san saw the two.

"You need to be resting upstairs," said the sushi chef, and Takeshi grinned.

"Tsuna need to ask Fon something," said Takeshi, and the narrow almost glare eased into a recognizably affectionate expression. Tsuna refused to feel jealous, because the sushi chef had been more than kind to Tsuna.

"You're too much like your mother," said Yamamoto-san, smiling at his son. "She couldn't stay put when she was injured either. I bet Nana's the same, eh, Tsuna?"

"Oh, um…Mom doesn't like getting sick," said Tsuna. The memory of all-too-pale Nana lying on a bed and picking up Tamaki and cuddling him in her arms made its way to the forefront of Tsuna's mind. "She…she doesn't like to stay in bed and away from us…"

"Any parent with sense in their heads doesn't like to be away from their children," said the sushi chef. His eyes narrowed again at Tsuna's flinch, but the sushi chef wasn't looking at Tsuna. The dark hazel eyes closed and then opened again with a softness that reflected the affectionate expression from earlier. "I called Nana, and she's on her way here with Lancia and Fuuta. She was worried about you."

Tsuna's eyes widened as the small brunette stared at the old man. Tsuna didn't know why his chest felt so warm and so heavy at the same time. But the searing cold soon overcame the strange sensation.

"What about Tamaki?" asked Tsuna quietly.

"Your mother hasn't seen him from this morning," said the sushi chef. "But it's not time for him to be home yet."

"Reborn hasn't contacted me yet," said Fon, standing at the older man's side as if the martial art master had been there since the beginning, which he had. At least, Tsuna thought his master had been there. The searing cold wasn't letting him concentrate. "But Reborn will not let anything happen to your brother. Reborn is a man of honor, and he is bound by his word to keep your brother safe."

"I know," said Tsuna, his voice quieter than before. "But—"

"Hey, Yamamoto-san, where do I put these?" asked Gokudera opening the kitchen door. His green eyes instantly locked on Tsuna. "Tsuna-sama! You should be upstairs resting! Sword freak! Why aren't you doing your job?"

"Tsuna wanted to ask Fon something," said Takeshi, scratching the back of his head. Gokudera glared at Takeshi but broke the glare before Tsuna could protest that the small brunette had been the one to insist on coming down. The bomber clicked his tongue and placed the plates on a nearby counter.

"I'll help you get back upstairs, Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera.

"I-I—I can do it myself, Gokudera," said Tsuna, backing up slightly, before suddenly falling forward.

"I did it! Lambo-sama won the candy!" yelled Lambo from on top of the fallen brunette. Tsuna groaned inwardly. Sometimes he wondered where the curly haired boy got his energy from.

"Lambo, off 哥哥'!" cried I-pin. "Lambo no get candy if 哥哥' not up!"

"Lambo, I think you're hurting Tsuna," said Takeshi. Lambo yelped as Gokudera grabbed the little boy's collar and yanked curly haired boy off Tsuna.

"What do you think you're doing!" yelled Gokudera.

"I was catching 哥哥', Stupidera," said Lambo, struggling to get out of Gokudera's grip which only tightened at the nickname. Great. Tsuna would have to talk to the bomber about how to handle Lambo again. "Monkey lady said she'd give me candy if I caught 哥哥' out and not resting in his room."

"Monkey lady?" asked Tsuna as he lifted himself off the ground. "You mean Hana?"

"哥哥' save me!" cried Lambo, struggling against the bomber's hold. "Stupidera is being mean to me!"

"Lambo mean to 哥哥'!" yelled I-pin as she tried to help Tsuna up. The little girl glared at Lambo from Tsuna's side. Tsuna was kind of scared that I-pin was starting to sound Hana. "哥哥' punish Lambo."

"It's okay, I-pin. Lambo was trying to help," said the small brunette. Tsuna smiled at the little girl in thanks and stood the rest of the way on his own. "Gokudera, could you please let Lambo go?"

"Whatever you say, Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera as he let Lambo go. The little boy hit the floor and yelped again.

"To-ler-ate," the little boy mumbled as tears started at the edge of his eyes. Tsuna sighed as he knelt down and ruffled Lambo's hair.

"Are you okay, Lambo?" asked Tsuna. At the words, the little boy's tears escaped his quivering green eyes, and the boy sobbed loudly and threw himself into Tsuna's arms. Tsuna didn't understand all of Lambo's blubbering, but he thought he caught the gist of it. "It's okay, Lambo. You meant well…I think…"

"I-pin want hug too!"

With a soft smile, Tsuna stretched out one hand and let the little girl jump into his arms too. The small brunette realized that all the eyes in the kitchen were on him, and he flushed a little but didn't let the children go.

"That's so cute!" came a cry from the door. "Tsuyoshi-san, do you have a camera?"


	31. Aniki

Chapter 31: _Aniki_

The kendo captain hadn't expected the room to stay so clean. There wasn't blood everywhere. Only a few red spots and sprinkles stained the garage where Kaido had invited Rai, Taro, and Konai to "have fun" with the boss. At first, despite being terrified of the creepy albino, Mochida had taken pleasure at the sight of the short brunette's suffering. Mochida's "boss" deserved the blows and more for forcing the kendo captain to be the brat's lap dog. But, as the trio had proceeded to beat the short brunette, Mochida had felt less and less pleased with the situation. Not because of the beating itself. No, the self-conceited brat deserved that, but no one deserved that attention, that intense scrutiny, from Kaido.

As the three had repaid every offense the short brunette had ever given to them, the albino's gaze had drunk in the short brunette's every twitch and cringe, a wicked light and horrible glee filling the pink eyes. And Mochida could feel nothing but sick at the sight.

Finally, the albino stopped the trio's blows, but what came next was worse. The albino had decided to "play" with the short brunette himself. Mochida had tried to leave, but the pink eyes had pinned the kendo captain in place.

"I thought you would enjoy this," said Kaido, the sound of that hiss making Mochida's knees want to buckle under the athlete. "Seeing what I can do."

* * *

><p>"Mom!" cried Tsuna, trying to hide his face behind the children's heads. The two children peeked back and caught sight of Tsuna's mom standing in the doorway.<p>

"_Mamma_!" the two cried in unison as they leapt out of Tsuna's arms and bounded over to the woman. She opened her arms, and the two landed in them. She snuggled the children and smiled down at them.

"Have you been behaving for Tsuyoshi-san and Tsu-kun?" asked the woman.

"Lambo hurt 哥哥'," said I-Pin, causing the little boy to glare at her.

"Lambo didn't!" said Lambo. "Lambo was helping 哥哥'. Lambo didn't want the candy!"

"Lambo, you shouldn't hurt your big brother," said Nana scolding the two. "Are you okay, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna nodded, and Nana moved to stand in front of Tsuna. The woman placed the children back in Tsuna's arms and hugged Tsuna, squishing the two children in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said. His mother shook her head.

"Tsu-kun, you were careful," said the woman, and Tsuna could hear the quiver of tears in her voice. The small brunette nodded, because the statement was really a question. The woman smiled and released her son, wiping the wetness at the edge of her eyes. "Then Mama's fine. But you have to listen to Tsuyoshi-san and the others and rest."

"Yes, Mom," said Tsuna a warm smile on his face. The woman echoed it, but Tsuna could see his same worry marring it. Tsuna knew his mother was worried about Tamaki. Why was she hiding it? She never hid things like that from Tsuna before.

"And you're resting too, right, Takeshi-kun?" said his mother, trying to hide her worry further. Tsuna frowned.

"Yep," said Takeshi, scratching the back of his head. Her warm brown eyes held Takeshi, and Tsuna wondered what his mother was hoping for. "Me and Tsuna are going back to our room to rest now."

"Good idea. You boys stay up there this time," said the old man, a tightness stetching the sushi chef's grin. Tsuna looked up the stairs wanting to stop worrying both his mother and Yamamoto-san, but the coldness sunk deeper. He couldn't go back upstairs. He was needed somewhere else.

"You should listen to him, Vongola," said Lancia from his place behind Tsuna's mother. Tsuna tried to smile and thank the man for watching over Tsuna's mother especially now, but Tsuna didn't couldn't. The cold has worsened and made the attempt at a smile awkward and pale.

"Are you okay, Tsuna-nii?" asked Fuuta, and Tsuna attempted to smile again. Given the younger boy's pinched face, the attempt had gone as Tsuna had imagined the first looked or worse. The coldness was making it harder to breath. Tamaki…Tamaki was in danger. No, he was suffering. And he needed—a pain erupted in Tsuna's head and broke all thought.

"Reborn!" cried Tsuna, the coldness warming as the familiar weight settled on his head.

"I'm back," said the hitman, and Tsuna froze as heat and cold warred within the small brunette. Why did those two words sound so ominous?

* * *

><p>The sound of retching echoed in the garage. The kendo captain's father was fast asleep on the other side of the house thanks to certain pills that had been crushed into the man's food, so the captain could make as much noise as he liked. He had a weaker stomach than the albino thought. Kaido had barely scratched his former boss. But then the short brunette probably would have also emptied his stomach if duct tape had not covered his mouth. Now Kaido had expected that. They were both terrified, but the short brunette's fear was definitely more enjoyable than the kendo captain's. The short brunette's face could stretch into such glorious fearful expressions, and the glistening track of liquid, of tears, down those pale cheeks made the image all the more enticing.<p>

Kaido was suddenly struck with the wish to hear something other than the short brunette's whimpers and wordless whines. The albino wanted screams, pleas, the brat begging for his life. Fear lacing through every word as it did every action. The short brunette's whole body had shook and cringed with it. The whole room stunk of fear. If Kaido stuck out his tongue, the albino would probably taste the fear radiating off the short brunette. And the form trembling under the albino's feet shook Kaido's whole body. But the experience wouldn't be complete, not without that sound added in. And so Kaido ripped the duct tape off the short brunette's mouth. The resulting cry had the albino covering his ears and narrowing his eyes. The short brunette would pay for such a useless attempt to get help.

* * *

><p>Most wouldn't be able to tell by the hitman's face, but Fon knew something was very wrong. The almost blankness of the features meant that the hitman was hiding something, most likely worry. But the hitman never worried. Of all the arcobaleno, Reborn was the hardest to read. Even Verde's thought processes, though warped and chilling, were fairly simple once you understood the scientist's love for advancement. Everything stemmed from the scientist's desire to know everything, to be the first to take mankind to the next step. Reborn, however, went to great lengths to hide his goals and motivations, to obscure them behind multiple red herrings and facades. With enough patience and discernment (several lifetimes worth), one could begin to understand the hitman. The hitman was human like the rest of them, despite his desire to make everyone else think otherwise. Fon had gotten to know the hitman better than most. And something was very wrong.<p>

"Did you find Tsuna's brother?" asked the marital artist.

"He wasn't at the base," said Reborn, carefully taking his seat on Tsuna's head. Tsuna adjusted for the weight, and those darkened brown eyes fell on Fon. Suddenly, the martial artist saw another reason for the hitman's choice of perch other than the hitman's need to lay claim to their student. Tsuna couldn't see the hitman from there.

"So where was he?" asked Fon, giving the hitman a subtle glare. His student still tensed, the boy was too observant for his own good sometimes. No one else, not even Tsuyoshi, had noticed the glare, but then Tsuna would catch it and misunderstand. The martial artist tried to ignore the smirk on the hitman's face.

"You didn't find him," said Tsuna, and the irritating smirk disappeared. Fon would prefer the smirk return to the dark look that fell upon the small brunette's face. "He's in trouble."

"I'm sure Tamaki's just sleeping over at one of his friend's houses again," said Nana. The woman tried to smile, but it looked as real as Tsuna's earlier ones did. "Why don't I make us some late night snacks?"

Lambo and I-pin instantly perked up at the suggestion. The two loved Nana's food, and she always made something when she visited. The only other food that I-pin and Lambo really fought over was Tsuna's, but as much as they loved their 哥哥', they got tired of sushi. Without hesitation, the two ran towards the kitchen, dragging the ranking prince behind them. The blond child smiled at their eagerness and let them pull him forward. He didn't glance back at the tall man who watched impassively as the three children followed the woman into the kitchen. It was a good to see that the blond boy had truly started to trust them, and his friendship with I-pin and Lambo would only do all three good. Usually such an act of trust would cause Tsuna to beam with a smile from ear to ear, but Tsuna's expression remained dark and strained.

"You don't mind if I use your kitchen, do you, Tsuyoshi-san?" asked Nana, as she poked her head back into the dining area. Tsuyoshi grinned widely at her.

"Of course not. It is always an honor to have you or your son in my kitchen," said Tsuyoshi. "But let me go with you to make sure I haven't left it in too sorry a state."

"I'm sure you haven't. Tsuyoshi-san is very organized," said the woman, but Tsuyoshi shook his head. With one last glance over his shoulder at Fon, Tsuyoshi opened the door of the kitchen and entered the kitchen with Nana.

"But in the middle of rush hour things do tend to get messy," said Tsuyoshi , his voice becoming muffled as the door closed behind him and left Fon to watch over the boys. The martial artist hoped that his friend could calm the woman's mind.

"M-mom might b-be right," said Tsuna, that same sickly smile marring his face. "T-Tamaki's probably-ow!"

"What have I said about stuttering, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. Tsuna pressed his hands against the sides of his head as he mumbled an "ouch." Fon sighed and wished that the hitman had less violent ways of handling things. Or at least less violent ways of showing affection. "The brat's somewhere with one of his lackeys, but it isn't because he's spending time with them or mooching off their 'generosity.' One of them took advantage of the fact that I wasn't there and kidnapped him."

"They what!" cried Tsuna.

"Then it's the moronic imitation's fault," mumbled Gokudera. Tsuna's head snapped in the young Mafioso's direction. The small brunette's expression made the bomber flinch. Anyone would with that amount of anger mixed frustration sent their way from those usually kind eyes. Tsuna closed them and took a deep breath. Fon allowed himself a small glint of pride at his student's renewed focus.

"Gokudera, you've been to the base," said Tsuna almost calmly, if not for the slight desperate edge to his tone. "You've met Tamaki's….friends. Do you….do you know where they would have taken him?"

"Che, anyone of them could have done it," said Gokudera, harshly but one look at Tsuna's darkening face softened his tone. "Except turf head, anyone there would have attacked the moronic imitation given the chance."

"Anyone?" Tsuna said quieting.

"Yes, but they also feared him," said Reborn. "Only one of them would have attempted to kidnap him whether or not I was there."

Gokudera's face shifted from annoyed to slightly tense.

"The albino creep," the silver haired teen whispered. As soon as the bomber noticed Tsuna's questioning look, he continued. "He's the one who fought the sword freak back when they were after the Box."

"That was Ta—" the small brunette started but his head jerked in the direction of the door that opened to the street as if he heard something. The brown eyes widened, but no light touched the darkness that swirled in them. An instant later, Tsuna had yanked the door open, or tried to as it was locked.

"Calm down, Tsuna," said Tsuyoshi's son. "What's wrong?"

"Tamaki," the small brunette said in a chocked whisper as he wrestled with the door's handle. "Tamaki, he…he's in pain and scared. He needs me."

"Let's tell Dad," said the younger Yamamoto. "He'll help us find him."

Tsuna shook his head and pulled on the handle hard. It was a testament to his training that the boy managed to warp the metal with the force.

"Mom…She…Yamamoto-san…Tamaki…now," said the small brunette, his words low and hard to understand. A larger hand pushed against the door to hold it shut and caused the boy to look up.

"You need to calm down," said Lancia from the small brunette's side. "You will do no one any good by rushing off."

The tall man did not say "again," but the word still echoed in the air. The small brunette was running off without them, and the tall man wanted to make sure the boy knew this was unacceptable. Fon had long since decided that if the small brunette had needed to risk his future for someone, this man was a good choice. That decision had been the only reason the man had not found himself bruised and bloodied and on the first plane to Italy back when they first met.

"But you don't like Tamaki," said the small brunette no longer pulling at the door. The hand on the door relaxed as the man sighed.

"No," said Takeshi, Shigure Kintoki in his hand. So the boy had taken after his mother. Tsuyoshi had never felt the need to carry his weapon around everywhere until Mako had forced him to. "But he's your brother."

"The moronic imitation is beyond annoying, but we won't let him worry you," said the bomber.

"And subordinates who let their boss run into danger are not doing their jobs," said Lancia. Tsuna slumped a little under the man's words, and the hand grasping the handle tightened.

"I'm not the Vongola Decimo," said the small brunette in a tone that meant his flames were likely coloring his eyes. "Tamaki is."

"But I do not owe my life nor my loyalty to him," said Lancia, and the man bent down to the small brunette's eyes level. Tsuna didn't look at him.

"He's the Vongola Decimo," said Tsuna. "And if the Vindice—"

"The Vindice have likely proved my innocence," said the man. "If not, they would have appeared by now. It does not take them a week to discover the truth when they put their resources to work."

"So," said Tsuna, as the hand on the handle squeezed harder. "You could leave."

"I could," said the man. "But I won't."

"But if the Vindice find out—"

"That is why I won't leave," said the man. "I won't leave if there is the possibility that my freedom will end in your incarceration."

There was silence, and Fon watched as his student struggled under the weight of the words, momentarily distracted from the door and its resisting handle.

"I wish you wouldn't…," Tsuna said quietly. "I…I'm not—"

"Tsuna," said Takeshi, interrupting the words none of them wanted to hear, because they reminded everyone present of the only lies that small brunette believed. Tsuyoshi's son wore a too-wide grin. "When did you start playing the mafia game?"

"It's not a game," the man growled, the light green gaze boring into the young swordsman.

"It isn't?" said Takeshi, the grin never leaving his face. "But it's the same game Tamaki was playing."

At the name, Tsuna straightened and yanked the door hard enough for it to jangle the doorframe, but the yank unbalanced the boy and ended with Tsuna falling onto the floor. Reborn had stayed fastened to the boy's head though.

"Tsuna-sama!" cried Gokudera, immediately trying to help the small brunette up. Tsuna shot up and gave the door a well-executed kick. The door stood no chance. It now hung by only one of its hinges and no longer blocked Tsuna's way.

"If you want to keep an eye on me," said Tsuna, his eyes holding that orange glaze. "You will have to keep up."

* * *

><p>The knife pressed itself against the already bleeding gash across Tamaki's chest. The short brunette whimpered, shaking as the knife lightly traced the gash and slowly put pressure onto it.<p>

"How useless," said Kaido in a hiss that had Tamaki tensing and shaking. Several gashes on his back and arms and deepening bruises had followed that hiss. "Wasting your precious instant to call that name? Why would he come for you? You are the bane of his existence. Everyone knows that you are his main tormentor, using your identical looks to your every advantage. Maybe at one point he allowed it. No one else would get close to him. You were the only one he had. But that's not the case anymore is it?"

The knife slid deeper into the gash, and the pain brought tears into Tamaki's eyes.

"Aw," said the hissing voice as the pain flared in Tamaki's chest. "Don't feel sad. He probably will miss you a little when you're gone. Who else will torment him? Ah, but he's Dame-Tsuna. Someone else will take your place as tormenter eventually."

Tamaki tried to block the hiss and the pain, but he could feel the tears slipping out of his eyes. He wanted the monster to let his mouth free. To let him scream. He…he wanted to call. He wanted _him_. But…but Kaido was right. Tamaki had pushed too far. Tamaki had forgotten…he had forgotten why he had been pushing _him_ away in the first place. Tamaki had wanted to be the strong one, the smart one, the one that didn't need protection. But he had relied on Tsuna anyway. To scare away monsters, to chase away bullies, to make sure their mother was okay, to help Tamaki impress their father. The same father who had come only once when Tamaki was sick. Who had told Tamaki that he had to be strong. That he had to keep an eye on his mother and brother. Because Tamaki was the strong one. Except Tamaki wasn't. He hadn't been when he had forced Tsuna to become friends with Nagi because the younger twin didn't want to deal with Nagi knowing he was sick. And then Tamaki had seen how close Nagi had become to Tsuna, and the younger twin couldn't pull the two apart. He didn't want to be that close to Tsuna. He hated his weaker older brother.

The knife dug brought Tamaki's brain back to his trembling body with a shock of searing pain as it lengthened the gash. Those awfully lit pink eyes dragged their gaze over the liquid seeping out of the gash disinterestedly before coyly returning to Tamaki's face. The albino brought the knife up to Tamaki's taped mouth.

"Would you like to taste? This blood, that connects you to that person, would you like to taste it?" asked Kaido, an amused smirk twisting his lips as Tamaki reeled away. Blood dripped from the knife and onto the short brunette's face. "You should enjoy it. It'll soon be your only connection to him."

Those words cause Tamaki's stomach to churn, and the short brunette stared in horror at the knife. They were true. Those words were true. Tamaki held no other connection to his brother but blood. They were too different, too separated. And it was all Tamaki's fault.

"What's this?" asked the albino, the smirk twisting to something darker. "Such tears. One would think you actually cared to be connected to your no-good brother."

The white, blood-stained hand that wasn't holding the knife reached down and touched one of Tamaki's cheeks mixing blood with tears. Tamaki flinched and tried to get away from that hand. He wanted another hand. A hand that had wiped away his tears every time he had let them. The hand that belonged to the one who had stood between him and danger whenever the hand's owner could. How long had Tamaki pushed away that hand's owner? How many times had Tamaki wished that that hand's owner would stop, stop getting in the way? Stop shielding Tamaki? Stop…stop taking Tamaki's blows? Tamaki was the strong one. Tamaki didn't need anyone protecting him, especially someone so weak.

"Would you like more proof?" said that hissing voice as the albino came in close and hissed into Tamaki's ear. The blood-stained hand reached over and tore the tape of Tamaki's mouth, but the knife under the short brunette's chin kept Tamaki from crying out. That twisted smirk, that horrible grin hovered inches from Tamaki's face, and the pink eyes pinned Tamaki, dared him with a horrifying confidence. The eyes told Tamaki that their owner had complete control, and no one could wrench that control away from the albino. "Call him. Call him again, your 'Aniki.' Go ahead. He won't hear you. No one will, except our little kendo captain, but you know he won't interfere. No one would risk their necks for you. No one cares what happens to a brat."

That word, the name that Tamaki had so wanted to call out a minute ago, stuck in his throat. The monster was right. He wouldn't come. Tamaki had spent years pushing _him_ away. Of trying to get rid of him. And now Tamaki was rid of him. His Aniki wouldn't come and place himself between Tamaki and the monster, not this time. Not like they would have months ago, before the demon tutor had come and helped Tamaki push his Aniki away further. Tamaki had gotten stronger, had showed his superiority over others, had flaunted it in his Aniki's face, had ignored that his Aniki had gotten stronger too. That his Aniki had friends, that even that octopus headed puppy had chosen Aniki over Tamaki. Because…because Aniki was stronger. No matter what Tamaki did, no matter what Tamaki said, no matter how Tamaki tried, Aniki would always be stronger. But…but at least, his mind whispered, the part he had ignored as he tried to beat Aniki up again or sent bullies after the older twin, at least aniki isn't here. Aniki isn't taking Tamaki's blows anymore.

The knife bit into Tamaki's chin, and it made him jerk his head higher. The sneering lips underlined those horrible pink eyes.

"Now, now," came the hiss. "I gave you an order. You should follow orders or else there are punishments."

Tamaki swallowed, and his throat brushed against the knife. He squeaked, but the knife dug deep enough to cut. So far, the monster had left his face alone, but the warning was clear. Tamaki would obey or the knife would make a red path to his cheeks. The tears started again. He couldn't stop the sob that broke out of his throat and dug the knife in further. The sob became a word, that name, blubbered over and over.

Suddenly the knife was yanked away from his chin, and the blurs of pink in front of his eyes disappeared. A gurgling noise accompanied several thumps, and then brown filled Tamaki's vision. A soft voice, nothing like a hiss at all, overcame several more strange sounds. The stream of tears halted at that voice, and something much softer than a knife pressed against his cheeks.

"…okay? Tamaki-san?"

That "-san." Only one person in the world called Tamaki "-san." Only one person had Tamaki forced to call him that. Because Tamaki deserved respect, and "-sama" sounded ridiculously childish. But he…he didn't…

"…ease answer me!" cried the soft voice, panic upping the volume, and a second hand encompassing his other cheek.

"Aniki?" Tamaki whispered, barely daring to let the word pass his lips again. It…it couldn't be. That word, that precious name, hadn't been heard. It couldn't have. No matter how loud or how many times or how Tamaki said it, Aniki wouldn't….Aniki wouldn't hear. Kaido was right. Aniki wouldn't have anything to do with Tamaki.

The hands against his face loosened the pressure Tamaki hadn't even noticed that they were applying. A thumb rubbed away tears that had resumed their trek down his face.

"It's me," said that soft voice, and suddenly the crystal clear image of worried brown eyes in a face so like his own registered in Tamaki's mind. Instantly, it blurred, and Tamaki fell forward. The two hands left his face as the arms caught him. "It's okay. It's okay Tamaki-san."

Tamaki shuddered and shook his head. Sobs filled his throat, and all he could think was no, not that. He didn't want to hear that stupid _childish_ name from this soft voice. Tamaki….he wanted to hear Aniki. For the first time in years, he wanted to hear Aniki be Aniki. Because Tamaki couldn't….Tamaki had….why had he….how could Aniki…?

"Tamaki-san?"

The sobs finally ripped out of Tamaki's throat as the younger twin wrapped his now free arms around his aniki and clung to the older twin's shirt. Apologies came out half mangled. He was sorry for being so stupid. He was sorry for letting Aniki down. For pushing Aniki away. For forgetting why. For being mean. For everything. Most people wouldn't have understand any of the garbled words, but the gentle hand in the back of Tamaki's head reminded Tamaki that this…this wasn't anyone. This was Aniki. Aniki held him as he babbled, as the endless tears stained Aniki's shirt, as the dribbling blood seeped into Aniki's pants. Aniki didn't let go even when the babbling started to slow and the sobs softened and Tamaki's wide, terrified, wet eyes stared to close and dry and Tamaki's mind took in that this was Aniki, that it would be okay, that it was safe. And finally Tamaki felt nothing but those arms around him before drifting off into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>AN: Have you seen the pic h*tt*p:/*/XoverLover.*deviantart.**com*/art*/KHR-More-Than-No-Good-306412548 (without the *'s)? If you haven't, it's worth a look and more.


	32. A Big Brother's Response

Chapter 32: _A Big Brother's Response_

The air grew hotter around Tsuna as the heat spurred him on faster and faster. Twin pink eyes floated faded across Tsuna's vision, and Tsuna breathing hitched. Tamaki needed him now. Tsuna barely registered as he saw the house, bigger than his own but not big enough to be a mansion. It had a garage, not something a lot of Namimori houses had in Tsuna's neighborhood, and Tsuna went straight for it. Tamaki was there. Tsuna knew it. He could hear Tamaki calling. Calling for Tsuna. Calling for Aniki.

Without thinking about it, Tsuna yanked the door open so hard the hinges broke. Tamaki was crying, a knife held to his throat. An albino, who had to be Kaido and was holding the knife, turned towards Tsuna. The pink eyes Tsuna had almost seen floating in thin air opened wide before narrowing triumphantly. Before Kaido could say a word to match the triumphant expression, Tsuna had the arm that had the knife against Tamaki's throat and was holding it so tight that the small brunette could feel the bone giving way under his grip. The pink eyes widened in terror, but Tsuna barely saw them. Tamaki painted splattered with his own blood was all Tsuna could see. Tamaki whimpered, and instantly Kaido was across the garage on his back. Tsuna bent down to meet Tamaki's gaze.

"I'm here," Tsuna said softly, but the younger brunette's eyes darted unfocused back and forth. "Aniki…Aniki's here."

Carefully, he put his hand on the side of his brother's face, searching for a reaction to his words. The face was wet, soaked with tears that had stopped but had left those brown eyes rimmed red. Red like the substance (blood) dribbling down Tamaki's neck and onto the crying boy's pants. Takeshi came behind Tamaki and carefully cut the younger brunette's bonds. Tsuna gave the young swordsman a small smile which Takeshi returned.

"Are you okay, Tamaki-san?" Tsuna asked quietly. The brown eyes responded, staring at Tsuna as if deciding whether he was there or not. Tamaki…Tamaki had never looked through Tsuna. Tamaki glared or glowered or even sometimes pleaded, but Tamaki didn't ever not see Tsuna. Tsuna grabbed Tamaki's face with both hands, trying to break that blank stare. But Tamaki didn't respond. "Please, answer me!"

"Aniki," whispered Tamaki, the word almost inaudible. Tsuna nodded, forcing back the urge to wrap his arms around the younger brunette. Tamaki hated hugs, even from their mother. Tears started back down Tamaki's cheek, and inwardly Tsuna panicked. He tried to stem the tears, but they kept coming.

"It's me," Tsuna said. Tamaki stiffened, and suddenly Tsuna's arms were full of Tamaki. He was shaking, and his hands gripped Tsuna's shirt. Automatically, Tsuna put his arms around the shaking brunette. "It's okay. It's okay, Tamaki-san."

For some reason, Tamaki shuddered and shook his head, burrowing deeper into Tsuna's shirt. Muffled sobs sounded, and Tsuna glared over his brother's head at the quivering albino. Takeshi grinned sharply and looked at Gokudera who was keeping a tight hold on Kaido. The bomber gave the albino a rough push, and Takeshi kindly took the now-not-smirking albino out the nearly unrepairable door.

"Tamaki-san?" Tsuna whispered, wanting to get his brother's attention and tell Tamaki that the albino was gone. Tamaki choked out a loud sob and wrapped his arms completely around Tsuna, startling Tsuna and nearly knocking the older brunette backwards.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki choked. "I'm sorry…Aniki…I'm sorry…"

The words continued, and they came out in way that Tsuna almost couldn't understand. But Tsuna could. And every word, every apology, warmed something that Tsuna had forgotten was cold.

* * *

><p>It had taken half an hour, but the moronic imitation had finally stopped blubbering and fallen asleep. Gokudera would have liked to teach the albino creep a few lessons about what happened to those who went after Tsuna-sama's family, moronic imitations or not, but Tsuna-sama had done a good enough job already. The moment the small brunette had entered into the garage and seen the albino creep pressing a knife against the moronic imitation's neck, Tsuna-sama had grabbed the albino creep's arm (after reaching the other side of the room by moving so fast that it looked like he had instantly transported himself there) and pulled the shocked albino back with such force that the knife had clattered to the ground. The albino creep paled as Tsuna-sama's orange-tinted eyes glared into the moron's own, and the bomber could see the albino creep's whole body shake under the unforgiving gaze. Before the albino creep could do more than gurgle in an attempt at a defense, Tsuna-sama had thrown the moron across the room.<p>

The albino creep had tried to run, but Lancia tripped the moron before he could get far and the sword freak sliced across the albino's chest with the flat of his sword to knock the albino back into Gokudera's grip, leaving Tsuna-sama to deal with the moronic imitation. Of course, Tsuna-sama had wanted the albino creep gone, and the sword freak had taken over the job of guarding the albino creep, which left Gokudera and Lancia to stand by and keep watch while the moronic imitation made a mess of Tsuna-sama's uniform. Gokudera had kept busy by straining for any unusual sounds under the moronic imitation's blubbering and watching the door. But this was no trap or ruse, and the surveillance yielded no enemies nor reasons to leave or pull the moronic imitation away from Tsuna-sama.

Looking up over the wild (and filthy) brown hair, Tsuna-sama's brown gaze met Lancia's. The man let out what could have been a sigh before bending down and taking the dead weight off Tsuna-sama. The moronic imitation gripped tightly onto Tsuna-sama's clothes, and Gokudera headed over to yank the brat away, but Tsuna-sama gently coaxed those hands free from the white school shirt. Lancia adjusted the weight so that the moronic imitation was positioned semi-comfortably on the man's back.

"Thank you, Lancia-san," said Tsuna-sama, standing and stretching. Gokudera subtly glared at the moronic imitation for making Tsuna-sama sit in such an uncomfortable position for so long. "Gokudera, where's Takeshi?"

"He stayed outside with the albino creep ," said the bomber, trying to casually remove his glare from the moronic imitation. Tsuna-sama saw it anyway. The small brunette gave the bomber an exasperated, tired glance before smiling a little.

"Gokudera, would you go free Mochida-sempai from the closet?" asked the small brunette, and Gokudera grunted and headed to the end of the garage and opened the door to the small closet. The black-haired kendo captain yelped like a dog when light spilled into the room, and Gokudera held back the urge to punch the coward's lights out for adding to the bomber's growing irritation. They hadn't laid a finger on the whimpering kendo captain. The whimpering idiot had run into the closet himself when Tsuna-sama had stormed into the garage.

"And what are you doing here?" said a new voice that put Gokudera on edge. The bomber hadn't heard footsteps or shuffling or anything to indicate someone entering the garage. The kendo captain backed deeper into the closet, but Gokudera ignored the idiot in favor of examining the new arrival. Another albino (though this one's were not the normal pink but violet) strode casually into the room.

"What are you doing here, Byakuran-san?" asked Tsuna-sama in a tone that had Gokudera abandoning the kendo captain in order to come and stand next the small brunette. If Tsuna-sama was wary of this man's sudden appearance, then the albino meant trouble.

"I think I asked you first, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the albino with an annoyingly amused smile.

"Byakuran! Where are you!" came a second more familiar voice sounding far off. By the pitch and frequency, it was down the hall that connected the garage to the house. Footsteps slapped against the wood as they headed down the hall that connected the house to the garage. "We shouldn't be running around the house without the owner's permission! And I heard strange sounds—"

"Ah, Irie-kun, I wondered where you had wandered off to," said the new albino, looking back at the door. A very familiar head of red hair hurriedly came through the door, and Shoichi stood staring at them. "You wouldn't believe what I found."

"Byakuran! What did you do!" Shoichi yelled at the albino after a brief glance at Tsuna-sama. "Why is Tsuna-sempai here!"

"I'm hurt. I did nothing to bring Tsunayoshi-kun here. He was here when I entered," said the albino. "Weren't you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"We were here," said Tsuna-sama, directing a smile to Shoichi. The redhead's green eyes widened behind the glasses as he took in the whole scene. "I'm sorry I didn't meet you after school, Irie-kun."

"W-what happened…?" asked the redhead.

"Apparently someone in this house took Tsunayoshi-kun's precious little brother captive," said the albino. "And Tsunayoshi-kun tends to be protective of what's his."

"Hey, Tsuna, someone left the door outside open," said the sword freak as he came in behind the albino and Shoichi. "Oh? Irie, you're back!"

"Yamamoto-san! Gokudera-san!" said Shoichi, probably finally realizing that Gokudera was in the room. As usual, the redheaded genuis needed to keep a better eye on his surroundings.

"Gokudera didn't tell us you were coming," said the sword freak. He kept that stupid grin on his face even as Gokudera turned his fiercest glare on the idiot. Shoichi blushed and turned sorry green eyes to Gokudera. The bomber huffed. As if Shoichi had to tell Gokudera everywhere the redhead planned to go.

"I-it was kind of sudden," said Shoichi. "I didn't have time to tell anyone but my parents."

"That's fine, but we would have had a welcome-back party if we had known," said the sword freak. "And who's your friend?"

"He's Byakuran-san," said Tsuna-sama. "And the other one is Fran-san."

"Other one?" asked the sword freak, and Gokudera nearly jumped as a presence appeared behind the bomber. Mentally cursing, Gokudera did a thorough check to see if someone else had come in the room without his knowledge. Lancia's sharp expression eased the bomber's conscience, since the man hadn't noted the two either.

"Yo," said the presence, bringing Gokudera's attention back to it. The bomber's mind tried to process what his eyes were seeing. What kind of self-respecting person wore a hat that looked like a bloated frog? Maybe he was a human-like UMA? "It's good to see you, Tsuna-san."

Tsuna-sama nodded and gave the weirdo (UMA?) a small smile, before returning his attention to the albino.

"Byakuran-san, Fran-san, these ar—"

"Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi, and Conti Lancia," said the albino. The violet eyes focused on Tsuna-sama in narrow slits. Gokudera stepped between the menacing gaze and Tsuna-sama. "Such a fierce guard dog you have, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"He's not a dog," said Tsuna-sama in that tone that meant his eyes were that strange hard orange. "How did you know their names?"

"The same way I knew yours. Irie-kun's letters."

"You're lying," said the small brunette. The dangerous albino's face stretched into a terrible sort of smile.

"What if I am? How else would I know your friend's names? Though I find it interesting that the so-called strongest man in Italy is following you around too," said the dangerous albino, the smile sharpening further as the violet eyes closed. Gokudera thought he heard a soft gasp behind him. "This place is full of surprises."

"Byakuran! Stop it! You're going to creep them out!" cried Shoichi as he too stepped between the albino and Tsuna-sama. He nervously grinned and clutched his stomach. "I-I'm sorry. He can come off a little strange sometimes. He doesn't mean any harm usually."

"I think this is going to be like the time with Rizzo, Shoichi-san," said the hat weirdo (no use jumping to conclusion that it was a UMA without further information). "Maybe we should have brought popcorn?"

"This is nothing like the time with Rizzo!" cried Shoichi as he waved his hands in front of him as if fighting something off.

"I have to agree with Irie-kun. Tsunayoshi-kun is much more interesting than Rizzo."

"You have interesting friends, Irie-kun," said the sword freak. He had his sword slightly bent at his waist, and Gokudera's hand had long since clutched several sticks of dynamite. "But we have to get Tsuna's brother back home."

"And how could we help?" asked the albino, the smile stretching wider and making Gokudera adjust his grip to include more explosives, including several balls of the material Shoichi had last sent.

"Could you wait here until the police come?" asked Tsuna-sama. "They have to pick up the man who kidnapped my brother."

"W-where is he?" asked Shoichi, green eyes darting around the room as if expecting the kidnapper to jump out from some dark corner. Gokudera huffed in an annoyance at the redhead genius' action. As if that albino creep could sneak past the sword freak let alone Gokudera.

"He's outside in the bushes," said the sword freak with that stupid grin of his. "He's already tied up and everything thanks to Gokudera and Lancia."

"And you threw him in the bushes?" asked Shoichi, staring at the sword freak.

"I just made sure he had a good place to sleep until the police come."

"Such dedicated and well-trained…_friends_ you have, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the dangerous albino. He dropped his smile slightly as something that could be confusion or interest passed across the albino's face. "And such an intense gaze. One would think you were trying to have me burst into flames."

"I...I need to get my brother home," said Tsuna-sama, and Gokudera knew the small brunette's eyes were once again brown.

"Of course," said Byakuran. "I hope he gets better soon, because I haven't gotten to talk to him."

"Byakuran! I said stop it," said Shoichi before turning towards to Gokudera. "We'll wait for the police. Please make sure Tsuna-sempai gets home safely, Gokudera-sempai."

The request made Gokudera look back and catch a glimpse of tired brown eyes before Tsuna-sama tried to cover them with another smile. Sending one more glare at the annoying albino, the bomber exchanged glances with the sword freak, who grinned again and opened the exit door. Lancia nudged Tsuna-sama towards the door, and the small brunette headed that way while Gokudera stayed between Tsuna-sama and the annoying albino.

"See you later!" called the sword freak when they finally got to the door and closed it behind them. Instantly, Tsuna-sama sagged, and Gokudera hurried to support the small brunette.

"Thank you, Gokudera," the small brunette said softly, his voice sounding worryingly airy. The brown eyes also had trouble focusing on the bomber. Again, Gokudera and the sword freak exchanged glances.

"We need some transportation to get him back," said Lancia. "Surely you can get us some, arcobaleno."

"I've arranged for it," said the unmistakable voice of the world's greatest hitman as Reborn stepped out of the shadows. The hitman had been on the small brunette's head but had vanished halfway into the trip. The small brunette had headed for this house and its garage without hesitation and with a speed that the three others had trouble keeping within sight. Gokudera hadn't even thought about where the hitman had been until now. "I can't interfere in my student's battles. And in our world, that was a battle, and it was one that the brat was losing until Dame Tsuna entered."

"Your world?" asked the sword freak. "Is that part of your mafia game?"

Gokudera nearly snapped at the sword freak, but a nudge and a shake of the head from the small brunette whose arm was slung around the bomber's shoulder stopped the angry retort before it could fully form.

"So what would have happened if you had found the younger Sawada?" asked Lancia. The man's light green eyes narrowed on the hitman.

"I would have kept him from dying and orchestrated an opportunity for him to escape," said the hitman.

"And if it had been Tsunayoshi?"

"Your transportation is here," said the hitman as he hopped onto the sword freak's shoulder. A honk drew their attention onto the street, and a black Lamborghini slowed to a stop in front of the group.

"Hey," said a blonde head as the blackened window rolled down. The Chiavarone boss grinned at them. "I heard my lil' bros needed a ride."

* * *

><p>He shouldn't, he knew. The others had given him strict instructions to stay in bed, but Tsuna couldn't rest. The image of that madman crouched over his little brother with a knife against Tamaki's throat kept flashing across Tsuna's mind every time Tsuna closed his eyes. And the thought of what would have happened if Tsuna hadn't come in at that very moment churned his stomach and ached in his chest. He couldn't sleep. Not here. Not where he couldn't be sure he had gotten to the garage in time. Quietly, he slipped out of his bed and moved to the window.<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" said a low-toned but high-pitched voice. Tsuna froze. He had thought that the demon had gone to watch over Tamaki. It had been too much to hope for.

"To open the window?" said Tsuna, actually managing not to stutter. Maybe the hitman would go easy on Tsuna and not shoot the brunette for the obvious lie.

"Fine, open the window and get back in bed."

Grimacing, Tsuna went to the window and opened it. He considered going through with his plan to go out the window and climb across the roof to reach Tamaki's room window. Tamaki had convinced him to do it once, when they were both six, and it had turned out all right. Neither of them had fallen, and Tamaki had smiled for the first time since their fath—_he_ had left a week earlier. Surely with all Fon's training, he could scale the roof safely without falling even with his body feeling like lead. And maybe…maybe he could do it fast enough so that Reborn wouldn't stop him.

"Do it and I will paralyze you from the neck down and tell your precious master what you planned to do with his training," said Reborn, Leon in gun form next to the hitman's head. "He wouldn't be pleased to hear that his student planned to scale a roof when his body can barely walk to the window."

Tsuna tensed, wishing the demon wasn't so observant. Tsuna had been ignoring the way his legs shook under the effort of keeping his body upright. The ground looked so far away now as he looked out the window, and his head swirled. The hitman was right. Tsuna would probably fall. Phantom pain filled his body at the probability of Tsuna meeting the hard earth made itself known to Tsuna's body, and Tsuna backed away from the window frame. But…but Tamaki…

"If you want to see him that badly, go see him," said the hitman.

"B-b—but Lancia's outside," said Tsuna, still slightly mortified by the memory of his two closest male friends nearly threatening the tall man to keep Tsuna in bed and resting before they left. A random thought crossed Tsuna's mind as he wondered exactly where Gokudera stayed. In an apartment? In a cardboard box in an alleyway? Maybe he should check and find out.

"You could just order Lancia to move. He's your subordinate."

"I'm not the Vongola Decimo," said Tsuna tiredly. He was starting to doubt he would ever stop arguing about this with the hitman. "Tamaki is."

"He would die within six months," said the hitman. No heat simmered under Tsuna's skin and confirmed that the hitman wasn't lying, or at least believed he wasn't. Tamaki could be a good leader. The few times the two twins crossed paths in the last few months, Tamaki would make sure to mention his "men" and how they listened to his every word. The younger twin wanted to be the Vongola Decimo, and Tsuna was certain that he hadn't been imagining the truth in his brother's words when Tamaki said that his subordinates would do anything for him.

"He wouldn't," said Tsuna not struggling back a stutter. Tamaki wouldn't die if Tsuna could stop it. The hitman huffed but said nothing else. He walked over to the door and opened it.

"He needs to see his brother."

Lancia gave the hitman a glance and then stared at Tsuna.

"You should be in bed," said the man, and Tsuna ducked his head and tried to look anywhere but at the tall man. The man looked intimidating when he stared like that. But then the image of that knife digging into skin flitted through his mind again.

"Lancia," said Tsuna, his eyes finding the man's light green. "I…I have to see him."

With the slightest of smiles crossing the man's face, Lancia nods. He steps out of the doorway, and Tsuna hopes that Gokudera and Takeshi don't find out that the man broke his word. They would have Hana chew the man out for sure. Quietly and slowly, Tsuna makes it to the hallway. He pauses to catch his breath. He yelps as something hits the back of his knee and he falls onto the ground.

"Get up and get moving. At the rate you're moving, the sun will rise before we're in the brat's room," said the hitman. Demons have no mercy. "If you can't move, then Lancia will carry you back to bed. You want to see the brat, you're going to have to get there on your own."

The heat confirmed that the hitman wasn't lying. The demon was worse than Tsuna could have ever thought possible. Biting back a cry, Tsuna pushed himself up. He was going to see his brother.

* * *

><p>Nana straightened as a thump sounded through her youngest's room.<p>

"You barely made it," said Reborn's voice, and Nana looked behind her to see the small tutor standing next to the fallen form of her eldest and a stone-faced Lancia standing behind the two.

"Tsu-kun, are you all right?" she asked, quickly getting up from her chair and letting her youngest's hand go. Her eldest smiled as he lifted his head to look at her.

"I'm just…a little…tired," said her eldest slowly as he took deep breaths. His brown eyes instantly fixed on Tamaki, and the smile became less strained. Nana could not help giving a smile of her own, but it disappeared as her eldest stayed on the ground. She bent down and suddenly had a strange urge to poke her eldest, but she ruffled his hair instead. He really should stop and listen to his friends.

"Lancia-san, would you please put Tsu-kun in the chair I was using?" she asked the tall man. He gave Reborn a look that was very sharp and almost like a glare, but it eased as the hitman stepped away from Tsuna's body. The man then picked Tsuna up, and Nana's eldest boy let out a startled gurgle as the man placed the small brunette on the chair. Nana would have asked Lancia to put Tsuna on the bed next to her youngest like when they were little and Tama had a nightmare, but now that they were older, she guessed it would be too awkward. She wished that her boys had continued to get along for longer when they were little. But after that time she was at the hospital, things had changed between the two. Tama had decided he wanted to be Tamaki-san and wouldn't let Tsuna call him anything else. They were only six at the time, and Nana had thought her youngest would get over the silly name change, but Tama didn't. He got worse. And she hadn't seen how permanent it was until the boy's seventh birthdays. But it had started seven months before that, when she was still in the hospital and her husband hadn't visited. She sometimes wondered what would have happened if she had never ended up in the hospital, or if Tamaki hadn't gotten sick while she was there. Would her boys still be the same ones who had to see the other to keep from getting upset? If that phone call had never come in, maybe things would have remained the same…

* * *

><p>Omake: <em>Why One Should Stay Out of Fights Between Tutors...<em>

Tsuna had no idea what had started it, but the two were glaring at each other in a way that made him feel sickly hot.

"Reborn, Fon, what are yo—"

"The Kaze Ryu is a martial art that requires consistent training," said Fon, cutting Tsuna off. Fon had never done that before.

"He needs to master his flames for the sake of his _famiglia_," said Reborn. "Fancy moves will not save Dame-Tsuna against _him_."

"Neither will thoughtless movements and almost self-destructive training," said the martial artist, and Tsuna tensed as he saw Fon shift his body into a very familiar form.

"None of my training is thoughtless," said the hitman, and Leon had changed into that familiar green pistol. Tsuna's brown eyes widened, and his breath shortened and quickened. This was not happening.

"We have differing opinions on that then," said Fon before leaping to the side to avoid a yellow blur. The martial artist moved forward faster than Tsuna had ever seen him. The hitman dodged Fon's attack easily (Tsuna hadn't know that the demon tutor could respond so quickly). Soon, the two were fighting so intensely that Tsuna had no idea what was going on further than the fact that his room was slowly being destroyed. Memories of a hand holding him by the collar and a creepy voice threatening to take him away caused Tsuna's stomach to flip and squeeze painfully.

"Stop!" yelled Tsuna, waving his arms frantically to get their attention. "Stop! Or I won't train with either of you!"

The two, to Tsuna's surprise, did stop, but the looks on the two's faces kept him from sagging in relief.

"What did you say, Dame-Tsuna?" said the demon tutor in that dangerous dark tone.

"I believe he said he won't train with either of us if we didn't stop," said Fon calmly, but Tsuna could hear an undercurrent of displeasure in his master's voice. "It sounded remarkably like what he says to the children when they begin to cause trouble."

"I-I d-d—" Tsuna started, cursing his stutter. That would make things worse. The deadly aura the hitman was giving off already made Tsuna want to faint, and Fon's near death-like calm had Tsuna wanting to run the other way until he couldn't run anymore.

"He's right," said Fon, still calmly. Tsuna allowed himself to ease a bit despite the growing heat under his skin. His master was always reasonable. "He'll miss out on training if we continue on arguing. So you should take him for the morning and I will have him in the afternoon."

"W-wait! What about school?" Tsuna protested, paling at the thought of having to endure training from both his teacher and tutor the same day. He wouldn't survive!

"You'll catch up on the material afterwards," said Reborn, a scary glint in his black eyes. "I'll make sure of that personally."

"I-I—I don't think that Hana—"

"I'll make sure to impress upon Hana-chan and the others the importance of the training," said Fon smoothly. Tsuna looked at his normally kind teacher in utter horror. "Your friends will understand."

"We're starting now, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, Leon in gun form in the hitman's hand. Tsuna's legs decided to start working as the small brunette ran to doge the various bullets aimed at them. Next time, Tsuna decided, he would keep his mouth shut and take his chances with the creepy man from the hospital.


	33. Overpowering Mistakes

Chapter 33: _Overpowering_ _Mistakes _

_The nurse came in holding a white phone and wearing a sincere smile, which relaxed Nana a little. Nana feigned sleep from time to time to ignore the usual pity-filled smiles. _

"_It's a call from your husband," said the nurse. She was the blonde that came in the mornings, the one with three children of her own at home. Now if Nana could remember the blonde's name…_

"_Thank you, Shiko-san," said Nana, hoping she had used the right name. The nurse's hazel eyes sparkled pleasantly, and Nana smiled._

"_Have fun talking to your Iemitsu-kun!" said Shiko-san as she skipped out the door. Nana hugged the phone to her chest, hoping her husband could hear her heartbeat. She wanted him to know that it was still his. But more, she wanted him to know how it longed to see him. Talking a shuddering breath, Nana put the phone to her ear._

"_Do you know how much I love you?" said Nana playfully._

"_As far as I know," said that strong masculine voice that Nana had only heard in dreams for a month. "Your love for me could wrap around the whole earth. But I still love you more."_

_Nana giggled, the question slipping easily off her tongue. "How much more do you love me?"_

"_My love for you could span the entirety of the sky."_

_There were such nonsense words, spewed out on their first date in his ridiculous attempt at being poetic, but they could always spread a satisfied warmth in her chest. She put the phone a little further from her mouth as a sob threatened to make its way past her lips._

"_Nana, are you there?" said that longed-for voice, but the warmth had sharpened and become painful. She hugged the phone to her chest again, trying to hide her pain. Or maybe she wanted him to hear it, to listen to its silent cry. To come home. The voice became muffled cries, and she pulled it away from her chest and returned it back to her ear._

"_Sorry, darling, the phone dropped," said Nana, and she heard a relieved sigh come from the other end of the phone. "What were you saying?"_

"_Is our little bullet over his cold yet?" asked Iemitsu, and Nana bit her lip to keep from telling him that their youngest's fever had nothing to do with a cold. He didn't have a running nose or a cough. Tama hadn't so much as sneezed._

"_Almost," she said quietly. She didn't want to argue, not when time with him was so precious._

"_Good," said Iemitsu. "I heard about it from the doctors. Is he nearby?"_

"_He's resting on the next bed," said Nana. She looked to her right, and sure enough brown eyes were staring longingly at her and the phone. "The nurses were kind enough to let him stay in the same room as me. They said since the hospital's not full, and pediatrics is in another wing, it would be better this way."_

"_We'll have to give them a tip then," said Iemitsu, and Nana could almost imagine his wide, lopsided grin. "Can you put him on?"_

"_Of course," said Nana, though part of her never wanted to let the phone go. Her boys needed to hear from their father too. She put the phone in her lap. "Tama-kun, guess who wants to talk to you?"_

_Immediately, he clambered up onto her lap. Nana handed him the phone that awkwardly engulfed half his face. The sight of her youngest pressed up against the huge phone vanished all her reluctance. That smile…Tama had done anything but smile since his fever had started. He had acted strange the whole fever, pushing Tsu-kun away and telling him to play and then turning around and crying out and clinging to Tsu-kun whenever the fever rendered Tama nearly delirious. So Nana couldn't be anything but happy to see her youngest smile._

"_Hi, Daddy!" Tama chirped. He giggled at whatever Iemitsu said. "I'm all better!"_

_A pause came, and the smile disappeared from her youngest's face. A confused frown took over her little one's face._

"_Aniki isn't here," said Tama, but his eyes blinked quickly and stared at the door. Nana glanced at the clock on the wall. Tsu-kun should be back soon. A harsh motion from the boy on her lap brought Nana's attention back to Tama. "But Aniki—"_

_Tama bit his lip like he did when he was nervous, but then he suddenly narrowed his eyes._

"_Aniki doesn't like to fight!" cried Tama. The little boy's face stretched into shock, and Nana worried about what exactly her husband was telling her youngest. "But…but that's Aniki's jo —"_

_Tamaki's eyes widened and suddenly darkened. The gaze out the door became a glare._

"_Aniki is playing," said Tama, and Nana stared at her youngest. He had used the same tone when he had come back from trying to find Tsu-kun. She had tried to stop her youngest, worried about him running around while he was recovering from a fever, but Tama didn't listen to her. When Tama returned with a surly look on his face, Nana had assumed Tama hadn't found his brother. Tama had said he had gotten lost. And the tone had been the same, and she had believed he was upset because he couldn't find Tsu-kun. But something hummed in the back of her mind that said that wasn't true, that Tama was upset because of something else. Usually, Tsu-kun would know instantly know what was wrong with Tama and tell her, but Tsu-kun was busy right now, probably playing like Tama had guessed. "He doesn't need me."_

_Nana watched as her youngest's face went from dark to hopeful and then to strangely thoughtful. Then again, if it were on the face of an older child, she would have thought it gleeful. Then Tama eagerly chirped an "Okay, Daddy. I promise." and clicked a button on the phone._

"_What did Daddy say?" asked Nana._

"_It's a secret," said Tama, putting a finger next to his mouth cutely._

"_And what kind of secret is it that my little bullet feels a need to keep it from me?" asked Nana playfully, but she was taken aback when her youngest glared at her._

"_I don't want to be called that!" he snapped. "No more Tama! I'm Tamaki."_

"_Are you sure?" asked Nana, surprised by the hardness in her little boy's face._

"_I'm never going to be called Tama or Tama-kun again," said Tama, or rather Tamaki, in that harsh tone he got when he was especially upset. "I'm going to be much stronger than that!"_

"_Is that what you promised Daddy?"_

"_No," said her little boy, glaring at the door. "But I have to be stronger. Daddy said so."_

"_Because of your promise?" asked Nana, her stomach rolling uncomfortably. Her little boy shook, and the flushness in his cheeks, the remnants of his fever, underlined the watery and dark brown eyes._

"_Because the strong don't need to be protected, and they can't be replaced!"_

"_I'm back," said the sweet voice of her eldest. He stood peeking in at the doorway. Nana smiled for him, trying to assuage his uncertainty and have him come inside. Tsu-kun had taken to doing that ever since the first time Tama had yelled at the older twin to get out and thrown pillows at Tsu-kun in a feverish rage._

"_I talked to Dad," said Tama._

"_Tama!" said Nana in a reprimanding tone. She couldn't believe her youngest was rubbing the fact in Tsu-kun's face like that. What had gotten into her Tama?_

"_I told you not to call me Tama!" yelled her youngest, his brown eyes narrow and pinched. But Nana could see the watering on their edges even as he tried to hide them by shaking his head. He turned to glare at his brother. "And you don't call me Tama either! Call me Tamaki-san!"_

"_T-Tamaki-san?" asked Tsu-kun. He took a step back and shook his head a little. "B-but you're not—"_

"_Just do it, Dame-Tsuna," said Tama, no, Tamaki. "You shouldn't…you shouldn't call your betters so casually."_

"_What are you talking about, Oto-kun?" asked Tsu-kun, suddenly taking a step towards Nana's bed. Tama-no, it was Tamaki, Tamaki until whatever was bothering her youngest stopped-Tamaki scooted away from Tsu-kun, nearly falling off Nana's lap._

"_Don't call me—Don't you dare call me that!" yelled Tama. A quiver sounded through the words. "I…I don't want such a stupid weak person as my Aniki!"_

_Tsu-kun flinched, and Nana's chest squeezed tight enough to halt her breathing. How could her youngest say such a thing? How could he say that to his Aniki? She still remembered the day when her boys were three and Tama had come in while she was watching a royal wedding in another country. She had dreamt of having a wedding as grand and luxurious as any royal one, but she had loved Iemitsu's abrupt, surprise wedding, which she had thought more romantic. The man had even picked out the dress, insisting she wore his mother's gown. _

_As she watched the bride walk up the aisle, Nana had been admiring the princess's gown while simultaneously thinking that it didn't have the sentimental value of the one upstairs when Tama had clambered up onto her lap and asked exactly what was "that" and pointing to the TV. She had explained that it was a wedding, a ceremony where two people promised to stay together forever. Tama had stared at the TV for a while after that, before asking if he and Aniki could have a wedding like that. Trying to stifle her giggles, she proceeded to clarify that a wedding happened between a man and a woman, which lead to Tama saying that he wished he was a girl so that he could marry his Aniki. Not holding it any longer, Nana had started to laugh uncontrollable and hugging her adorable little one and scaring him half to death. Finally stopping, she patted him on the head and told him that he didn't need a wedding to stay together forever with his Aniki. They were brothers, and that was a bond in many ways stronger than any wedding ceremony could produce. The huge smile that had decorated Nana's youngest face could not have been wider, and when Tsu-kun had come in, Tama had rushed and babbled on and on about how they were better than married. Tsu-kun had been half-asleep and very confused, and the picture the two made had burned into Nana's memories as one of her favorites._

_Tama would never ever tell Tsu-kun, his beloved "forever" Aniki, that the younger boy didn't want Tsu-kun to be Aniki. This…this had to be a side-effect of the medicine they were giving her. She would talk to the doctor—Tsu-kun cautiously shuffled to the side of the bed, and Tama (no, no, Tamaki until the situation blew over) crossed his arms and didn't move an inch._

"_Ot—Tamaki-san," said Tsu-kun too quietly. Nana hadn't heard him this quiet since she had first woken up. Big brown eyes gazed up at both Nana and Tamaki with a shiny sheen over them. "W-what did I do?"_

"_That's a stupid question," said Tamaki. "And I'm not going to answer it, 'cause I don't want to."_

"_So…so I did something?" Tsu-kun insisted, the sound of his voice brittle as his eyes focused on Tamaki alone. "It was me?"_

"_Yes," said Tamaki, looking away from his brother's eyes. "It was all your fault."_

"_Did you say that or did Dad?" asked Tsu-kun. The sharpness in the voice surprised Nana. Tsu-kun blinked, as if surprised at the sound of his own voice._

"_Dad didn't say that!" yelled Tamaki. "It's not his fault he likes me better!"_

"_Tama-kun!" she cried, trying to convey the seriousness by adding the suffix. Tama never needed the suffix, because his nickname had that special meaning between them. She hardly wanted to call Tsu-kun "steal," since she couldn't fathom her eldest stealing anything, but Tama was their "bullet," the one who whizzed around and never seemed to run out of energy._

"_I'm not Tama!" yelled her youngest at the top of his lungs. He spun his head around to glare at her. The normally bright and smiling brown eyes had an awful shine to them, the features around them twisting into an expression she had never seen on either of her boy's faces. They had never had a reason to look so angry and…sad. "Stop calling me that! I can't ever be Tama again!"_

"_But wh—" started Tsu-kun._

"_It's all your fault!" yelled Tamaki, turning his watery glare on his brother. "You ruined it, and, and, and, and you're not Tama-kun! And now I can't be either!"_

"_What do you me—"_

"_Shut up!" said Nana's youngest. He threw something at Tsu-kun's head. It brushed Tsu-kun's unruly brown hair and hit the wall, shattering. The phone lay in pieces on the floor. Nana had forgotten that her youngest still held that in his hand, and she found her eyes glued to the cracked case that spilled out broken chips and thin wires. Shiko-san came in at the noise and exclaimed at the sight of the broken phone. The nurse asked Nana what happened, and the question washed over Nana, over and over again. But even as Tamaki slid off Nana's lap and went to sulk on the other bed and Tsu-kun helped the nurse pick up the broken pieces of the phone, Nana found she couldn't answer the question because she didn't know the answer._

* * *

><p>The boy had slumped onto the bed the minute Lancia had placed the small brunette on the chair. Face half sunk in the sheets next to his younger twin's head, the boy slowly started to shut his eyes. The woman had on a blank glance that indicated her mind had gone elsewhere. Lancia had seen that look on many of the older members of the <em>Draghi famiglia.<em> Blankness filled their eyes to hide the swirling regrets and memories and emotions. Quietly, the man took the woman's hand and led her out to the hall.

"Tama and Tsu-kun—" she protested, but the words came out muffled and disoriented.

"No harm will come to them, _Signora_ Sawada," said Lancia. "I swear upon my life."

Brown eyes, so like her son's, scanned Lancia's for any sign of a lie. They reflected the overhead lights, and Lancia knew the woman believed him. She pressed her free hand over the hand that had led her to the entrance of her room.

"Tsuna has good friends," said the woman, a smile lighting the brown eyes further and radiating a similar warmth to her son's. But it was different. More like Gerti. Everyone had known that passing the _Draghi_ head housekeeper meant going through a rigid inspection and probably being dragged to the kitchen and made to eat a bowl of soup. Many had referred to her as the _Draghi's_ hen. With the _famiglia_ made up of so many orphans, no one wanted to say the word mother. But that's what they had all considered the fussy old woman. A gentle pull on his hands brought Lancia back to the woman in front of him and not six feet under the ground in another country. "Don't call me _Signora_. Just call me Mama like everyone else."

The suggestion caused the man's throat to seize, and the woman let go of his hand and entered her room.

"I like it when my sons' friends call me that," said the woman with another smile. The door closed, and Lancia stared at the wood before remembering what he had told the woman. He would deal with the strange request later. He walked back to the room that held his two charges, making a mental check of the area in an attempt to stave off unwanted thoughts and to make sure the area remained clear. When he entered the room, he caught a glimpse of a yellow glow before it disappeared. The arcobaleno sat perched over the twin sleeping forms.

"Is _Mamma_ settled for the night?" asked the hitman. Lancia nodded, and closed the door behind him, leaning on it so that no enemies could use it as an entrance. The hitman had the optimum position to keep watch over the window, so Lancia's gaze landed once again on the two boys. They looked identical (even though the famous Dr. Shamal had confirmed that the twins were fraternal), and so young. Too young to hold the future of the mafia on their shoulders.

He had been watching over them (both of them per Tsuna's request), and he had come to the conclusion that neither of them would wear the mantle of Vongola Decimo well. With the younger one, the problems dealt more in his leadership ability, or rather lack of it. The boy expected to be obeyed because of who he was, because he was better than the others. That belief had him putting his brother and anyone else he could down, occasionally using violence. He wore the attitude of a bratty expectant child continually and had occasionally tried to order Lancia around. Lancia had made his alliances clear by ignoring anything the younger twin said, and the boy had responded by pretending that Lancia didn't exist. A true leader wouldn't ignore a difficulty. He would make steps to remove it. Lancia doubted a boy who ignored and pushed aside that which didn't suit him could be changed to the point of being worthy of hundreds of men's trust.

But it was Tsuna that truly worried the man. Enough time around the youngest twin (about fifteen minutes would be enough) and one could easily see that the boy was unsuited to lead men out into battle. Tsuna, the ordinary, weak-looking brunette, had the opposite effect. If anyone was forced to look at the small, nondescript brunette, they would see the best leadership traits hidden in the boy. They lay unrefined, buried under the timid demeanor and meek nature. And that potential, that ability, blinded anyone from seeing anything else, had blinded Lancia from seeing the truth originally too. The truth shown in the too small shoulders, the too large heart, and the clear brown eyes that took in too much. The mafia would destroy Tsuna. When Lancia had seen that dark truth from behind the bright light of the boy's hidden potential, the man suddenly realized how difficult his new job had become. Lancia could not let that world crush this boy, but the man knew he couldn't keep the fragile boy away from the mafia.

"He's stronger than he looks," said the hitman. Dark black eyes caught Lancia in their stare, but Lancia refused to fold.

"He is strong," said Lancia, refusing to move his gaze from the arcobaleno's. "But he can't do it."

"He doesn't have a choice," said the hitman.

"No, but you do," said the man, taking a firmer stance as the hitman's stare shifted into a glare. "I heard the story from the storm arcobaleno. You are here to train the younger twin, not Tsunayoshi."

"Plans changed," said the hitman.

"They didn't have to," said the man. The hitman snorted and looked away, the dark gaze turning onto the slumbering boys.

"If Dame-Tsuna had ended up kidnapped, what do you think the brat would have done?" asked the arcobaleno. An image of Tsuna in the state that they had found the younger twin twisted Lancia's stomach, and he crossed his arms in an instinctive attempt to hide his clenching fingers. One cannot show weakness to one's enemies. Especially an enemy that had the upper hand. "Even if the brat had the same level of control over his hyper intuition as Dame-Tsuna, he would have sent someone to rescue Dame-Tsuna, _if_ he was in a good mood. And Dame-Tsuna would have taken whatever Kaido would have done to protect the brat."

"It would not happen," said Lancia. "Tsunayoshi's _famiglia_ would eliminate any threat."

"No one can watch over someone every minute of the day," said the hitman, and his fedora hid those penetrating eyes. "Especially one that isn't used to being watched over."

"What would you have done if he had been kidnapped?" asked Lancia. The man rocked back a bit, stunned by his own question. But the hitman didn't move, as if the question hadn't been asked. Lancia couldn't let the hitman avoid answering again. "Would you have let Tsunayoshi figure a way out on his own?"

The hitman raised his gaze, and Lancia was once again pinned by dark, hard black eyes. But the man needed to know the answer.

"If Dame-Tsuna had been stupid enough to let himself be kidnapped," said the hitman, "I would have dealt with him personally."

* * *

><p>Tsuna groaned. He had thought Lambo was bad, but then Tsuna had forgotten how clingy Tamaki could be. And it didn't help that part of Tsuna didn't want Tamaki to let go any more than Tamaki did.<p>

"I have to go to school, Tamaki-kun," said Tsuna, trying to pry the younger brunette's hands off Tsuna's sleeve. Tamaki's fingers had dug themselves deep into the material, and Tsuna didn't know how he would get them off without making large holes in his yellow uniform jacket.

"No," said Tamaki, tightening his grip. "Stay home with me."

Tsuna opened his mouth to tell his suddenly-clingy-again little brother that several people would arrive to their house in less than pleasant moods if Tsuna decided not go to school, but then Tamaki's grip tightened again and Tsuna noticed how Tamaki's knuckles were slowly whitening and shaking.

"Tamaki-kun," said Tsuna, putting a hand over his brother's. The name felt strange on Tsuna's tongue, but every time Tsuna had started to call Tamaki "Tamaki-san," the younger twin had freaked out and shook his head violently to the point where Tsuna had thought Tamaki would injure himself. So Tsuna had decided that "Tamaki-kun" would be alright for now, even if it sounded wrong. "It'll be alright. Lancia promised to watch over you."

The man nodded from his place against the wall, staring impassively at Tamaki. Tsuna held back another sigh. At least Lancia wasn't glaring at Tamaki.

"But Aniki, I—" Tamaki started, but suddenly he stopped. Tsuna had frozen under the word. How long, how long had it been since Tsuna had heard that name? A few weeks before Reborn had come, Tamaki had suffered one of his really bad fevers. Tamaki had clutched Tsuna's hand during the worst of it, and whenever Tsuna had tried to move away, the younger brunette had whispered that name. And Tsuna had stayed until their mother had forced him to take a break. Tamaki never used that name after…after that day, not unless he was in major pain. Before Tsuna could tell Tamaki that the small brunette would stay, Tamaki tightened the grip on Tsuna's sleeve one more time before letting go. "Go..."

"Tamak—"

"Just go!" Tamaki yelled, looking away from Tsuna. The hands that had been on Tsuna's sleeve fell to the blankets and clutched them. "Go! Leave me alone!"

"No," Tsuna said, the heat buzzing under his skin. He remembered this. When he was young, he hadn't understood, hadn't been able to stop it. But this time… "No."

Tamaki's wide brown eyes stared at Tsuna, and for a moment, Tsuna didn't know what he would say, if he could stop it. He remembered not understanding why Tamaki had pushed away, why Tamaki had suddenly started provoking bullies and sending them after Tsuna. The small brunette had led the bullies away from Tamaki, had done whatever he could to get Tamaki to stop pushing away, but Tamaki had pushed harder. The younger twin's words and actions had grown harsher, sharper, and Tsuna had stopped trying so hard. He hadn't known what else to do, so he had let Tamaki push. But now, Tsuna understood. Tamaki had pushed Tsuna away for the same reason that Takeshi had fought Tsuna. Tamaki had wanted Tsuna to stop, to keep Tsuna from protecting Tamaki at the risk of himself. Tamaki had wanted to protect Tsuna, to be the brother who could and would protect. And then Tsuna had kept doing what he could to protect Tamaki, and Tamaki had lost sight of why he had started pushing away and had kept doing the same thing. Without remembering why, Tamaki had grown worse, and Tsuna hadn't stopped him. But now…Tsuna wasn't going to let them fall back into that trap.

Lifting a hand, Tsuna placed it on Tamaki's head, ruffling his younger twin's wild brown hair. The surprised look on Tamaki's face made Tsuna smile a little. When they were little, Tamaki wouldn't let anyone else touch his hair but Nana and Tsuna, which had caused problems when they had gone to get their hair cut. But as long as Tsuna held Tamaki's hand, Tamaki had endured the scissors in his hair. Tsuna's hand stopped moving, and Tsuna stared at it. A lump formed in Tsuna's throat, and Tsuna found himself wanting to wrap his arms around Tamaki and never let go. He didn't want to lose his little brother. Not again.

"Oto-kun," Tsuna whispered. Tamaki stilled under Tsuna's fingers, but he didn't protest the name like he had "Tamaki-san." Tsuna breathed out. "I'll be back."

Tamaki didn't say anything. He looked down at the sheets and his still gripping hands.

"I don't want to leave," Tsuna continued, "but Takeshi, Gokudera, and Hana…they wouldn't like it if I didn't go to school. They worry a lot…"

"I know," whispered Tamaki as he slumped into himself. "So go."

Keeping his hand on Tamaki's head, Tsuna crouched to meet Tamaki's gaze.

"When I come back," said Tsuna. He paused, wondering if he was doing this right. Would he say the wrong thing? Had he already said it? No, it didn't matter, because he wouldn't let Tamaki push away again. "I'll take you to meet Yamamoto-san."

"Why would I—" started Tamaki, a hardening appearing in his narrowing brown eyes.

"Because," said Tsuna. "I want him to meet my little brother."

Tamaki's mouth fell open, and the brown eyes widened again. Suddenly, they shimmered.

"How…," Tamaki started, his voice thick and his lips quivering. "How can…Why would you….?"

Tsuna smiled softly, and Tamaki struggled to keep the tears from falling. Tsuna patted Tamaki's head and pulled away his hand, but Tamaki grabbed it.

"Aniki, I'm sorry," said Tamaki, pulling Tsuna's hand down low enough to hide his eyes.

"I know," said Tsuna, once again gently ruffling Tamaki's hair. "I know."


	34. Delayed Consequences

Chapter 34: _Delayed_ _Consequences_

"So why do we have to pick up the moronic monkey king?" asked Hana, crossing her arms. She had left Kyoko to Haru's care for the afternoon because Hana hadn't trusted Tsuna not to do anything stupid after yesterday's escapade. Unfortunately, she had been right.

"I want him to meet Yamamoto-san," said Tsuna with a sheepish smile. "And Tamaki needs me."

"What have we said about letting that brat leech off you?" said Hana, trying to impose the seriousness of the matter with a glare. How is it that after all this time he still didn't get it? Tsuna shook his head with that hopelessly happy smile beaming on his face. It had been there all day, and Hana didn't know whether to scream at Tsuna for buying whatever lie the moronic monkey had fed the small brunette or go and slap the moronic monkey king herself for getting Tsuna's hopes up so he could undoubtedly bring them crashing down later. Of course Tsuna had attributed part of the happiness to an email from Nagi that mentioned thepurple haired girl getting a cat, but somehow that explanation made things worse.

"Tamaki's better now," said Tsuna. The dropped suffix worried Hana. What had the moronic monkey king done? "He won't do that again."

"If Tsuna-sama says so," said Gokudera. Hana turned her glare over to the stupid monkey, but it faded at the scowl on the stupid monkey's face. He was slightly turned so that Tsuna couldn't see it, but it was still ridiculously visible. Apparently, the stupid monkey agreed with her.

"Tsuna knows his brother best," said Takeshi, a wide grin on his face. "And Dad'll love to meet him."

Somehow, the last words sounded more like a threat, and that thought comforted Hana. Taking Tamaki to meet Yamamoto-san suddenly didn't sound like a bad idea. Yamamoto-san wouldn't go easy on the source of Tsuna's troubles.

"Too bad they'll probably never meet," said a new voice. Takeshi's sword instantly flashed into steel, and dynamites appeared in Gokudera's hands. Hana vaguely wished she had a weapon as she scanned to find the owner of the vaguely familiar voice. Strangely, Tsuna barely tensed at the bodiless voice.

"Hello, Byakuran-san, Fran-san," said Tsuna, directing his slightly less bright smile ahead of the group. The creepy albino monkey from the day before appeared out of thin air along with the weird teen. Hana sighed. Hadn't the two had enough fun crashing their lunch break earlier? Poor Irie had all but been forgotten between the two weirdos when the three had shown up on the roof during lunch, but then the redhead should not be hanging around these two anyway.

"Observant as always," said the creepy albino monkey. "Too bad it's not enough."

"Not enough?" asked Tsuna, the smile slipping from his face and becoming a worried frown.

"Remember, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the creepy albino monkey. Those violet eyes had closed into slits. "No one lies to the Vindice."

White pushed all other colors from Tsuna's face, and the small brunette snapped his head in the direction of his house. An instant later, he was halfway down the street. He would have gotten further, but that creepy albino monkey had caught the collar of the small brunette's jacket.

"Now, I can't let you do that," said the creepy albino monkey. He leaned down as if to whisper in Tsuna's ear, but Hana could hear the hissing words. "Your lady friend was right. I have never been after your brother's flames. Such weak translucent flames don't interest me."

"Let me go," said Tsuna, orange coloring his normally brown eyes. He reached into to a pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses that he had worn to fight Takeshi.

"I wouldn't do tha—" started the creepy albino monkey. A sword sliced between him and Tsuna, but the albino monkey had let go of Tsuna in time to avoid the blade. Pity the sword hadn't cut off the albino monkey's mouth. Tsuna had tried to run full forward, but he tripped over nothing. Hana sighed, not unused to the sight, but she quickly frowned. Tsuna had never had a clumsy moment when he was serious.

"Sorry, Tsuna-san," said the weird teen. "But sempai doesn't want you going there. And Shoichi-san would be sad if you disappeared."

"Stop!" Tsuna yelled, pushing his hands against the ground but his body staying on the ground as if glued there. "Tamaki—Tamaki is—"

A cloud of dust rose above some houses, right over where the Sawada residence was. Without another word, Takeshi ran to the cloud, but then he ran backwards. Gokudera tried to go towards the cloud, but he ended up heading back to the school. Hana didn't take a step either way. She had no idea what was causing the two boys' confusion or Tsuna's state, but she doubted she could do anything against it. She only stood and watched as men in black cloaks came out of the dust cloud, floating over the spot and forming a circle. Chains emitted from their hands and dropped down, and then they pulled. An unconscious form rose in the air wrapped in those terrible chains, and Tsuna screamed as he struggled against the ground.

"Tamaki-kun! Tamaki-kun! OTO-KUN!"

Tsuna yanked himself off the ground and put on the glasses. They changed into an orange tinted visor as an intensely orange flame burst on Tsuna's forehead as Tsuna leapt forward. A hand pulled him back.

"You can't go there now," said a man in a strange green yukata.

"Let go!" Tsuna yelled in the man's face. "Let go! Oto-kun's—"

"I already told you," said the man, moving and dodging the small brunette's blows. "It would matter if you disappeared."

"Let go!" Tsuna roared as he kicked at the man's chin. The force of that hit…Hana had never seen Tsuna in such rage. The blow grazed the man's chin and sent the man sprawling backward, but then the albino monkey got in Tsuna's way. Tsuna swung his hand at the albino monkey's throat, but it went through air and hit a nearby lamppost, denting it.

"You're not focusing," said the albino monkey playfully, but Hana found herself close enough to see the strain on the albino's face. "If you can't, you won't be able to pass me."

Tsuna lunged, and the albino monkey flickered the slightest bit to the left. Tsuna swept past the albino monkey and ran to the floating black cloaks. But clear, foggy smoke (was it smoke? It flickered weirdly) surrounded the chains and the cloaks, and they were gone. Tsuna kept charging for the spot, jumping onto fences and then house roofs as if they were stepping stones. He kicked at the spot, for an instant hovering in the air before gravity took control and dragged him back down. Hana ran through the streets with Gokudera and Takeshi in front of her as they headed to the Sawada residence where Tsuna had fallen. When they arrived on the street, the house stood puffing clouds of brown dust. The front door hung in splinters, and several holes gaped into the ruined home. Furniture lay broken inside, and a man lay collapsed on the steps of the front door, the door where Hana had chewed out Tsuna's mother (where was she?) and where Haru had first met Tsuna only a few days ago. The small yard where the perverted doctor had given the supposedly good news that the moronic monkey king would live was littered with debris, and there half buried under a couch was filthy dark brown hair. Tsuna knelt beside the couch and pushed the broken furniture off the figure. Takeshi quickly made his way over and helped Tsuna. Hana stood frozen as Gokudera made his way to the collapsed man.

"He shouldn't have fought," said the creepy albino monkey. He stood next to her. "He made it worse."

"Wow," said the weird teen. "Did something explode?"

"What happened," said Hana, glaring at the creepy albino and his weird sidekick. "Now."

"The Vindice discovered Tsunayoshi-kun's deception," said the creepy albino with an amused grin. "So they came to 'arrest' him."

"Arrest?" said Hana. Gokudera had explained more about the Vindice when Hana had pressed him. The Vindice were like the mafia police. They took away those who had broken mafia laws. But unlike normal police, they were not bound by rules and regulations. They decided the laws and the punishments for them. A personal insult, like fooling them, might end in a harsher punishment than killing an entire _famiglia_, like that Mukuro character had done. And that same Vindice had come to take Tsuna, except they hadn't. The form wrapped in chains became clearer in memory, looking too much like Tsuna, enough to make her legs shake and her throat clench to keep back screams not unlike those that Tsuna had let out. They had taken the moronic monkey king.

"What happened?" asked the kid that like to hang out on Tsuna's head. When had he gotten here?

"The Vindice arrested the moronic monkey king," said Hana. Her voice sounded dry. She cleared her throat. "Where were you?"

"He was with me," said the other kid, the one who was Tsuna's beloved master. Hana shook her head to clear it, an increasingly heavy feeling overwhelming it. She had to focus. She ignored the aching of her limbs. She had run too fast, but that didn't matter now. Tsuna and Takeshi had gotten the owner of the filthy dark brown hair out from under the couch. Tsuna's mother didn't stir as Tsuna gently placed her head on his lap, brushing the dust off her clothes. Fon suddenly stood next to Tsuna and took the small brunette's hand, stilling it in its work as Fon flipped the hand over and pressed fingers into the small brunette's wrist, but Tsuna didn't respond. The other kid (wasn't his name Reborn?) was looking the fallen woman over. Takeshi walked over to where she had frozen on the corner of the sidewalk.

"We need to get my old man," said Takeshi, his face taunt with…anger? Fear? Confusion? Hana crossed her arms and gripped the sleeves. She could normally read her boys better than this.

"We need to call the police," she said, finally finding a train of thought she could follow. "And an ambulance. Who knows what injuries they—"

"Calling the police would complicate the problem further," said the man in the green yukata from earlier. "And Reborn-san could probably do better than any hospital. Plus if we need to take either to the hospital, Hibari-kun could help us get them there faster than any ambulance."

"Hibari?" Hana said, and then pinched herself. Of course the violent head prefect would appear wherever there had or would be a fight in Namimori. The dust cloud would have attracted the prefect like a moth to a flame. "And why would it complicate things?"

"You're a smart girl," said the man in the green yukata. "I'm sure you've figured it out."

"Because this whole mess deals with the mafia, and mafia don't deal with the police," she said automatically. She had known that the Vindice and all those other references that Tsuna and Gokudera kept using dealt with the mafia, the _real_ mafia. This, the smoking craters in what used to be the Sawada reference, Tsuna sitting on the ground and cradling his mother's head on his lap, Gokudera calling the other kid (definitely Reborn, though one had to be careful when it was the idiot monkey doing the calling), all of this pointed to danger that no mere game could produce. "And that kid, Reborn, wants to train Tsuna to be the boss of some big name family."

"Vongola," Takeshi said. Hana stared at him, and he didn't grin. His normally cheerful hazel eyes glittered like the steel of his sword. "Tsuna's said over and over that he won't be the Vongola Decimo. The kid's mentioned Vongola a lot. Gokudera used to say a lot about Vongola when he wanted to hang out with Tamaki. And sometimes Lambo and Fuuta say the name, though they both sound scared when they say it."

Hana nodded. She reminded her heavy head that Takeshi wasn't as oblivious as he sometimes acted, though there were times he was as insightful as a blind monkey. The sword-sharp eyes turned onto the man in the green yukata.

"Why does Vongola want Tsuna?" asked Takeshi, his tone as sharp as his eyes.

"They don't," said the man in the green yukata, unfazed by Takeshi's hardening glare and the sword catching the fading sunlight as Takeshi changed its position. "Most have no idea Tsuna exists, and the rest have set their hopes on Tamaki. If it weren't for some helpful redirecting from an unknown and, at the time, ignorant illusionist, the twins would have been discovered earlier. I didn't suspect the two's heritage until the second assassin came to kill the new Vongola Decimo. The first didn't have a chance to say much. When I learned of my favorite visitor's fate, I wanted to stand in the way, but I have had time to learn that I can't stop what needs to happen."

"So Tsuna needs to become this Vongola's boss," said Hana, making sure the sarcasm in her voice was quite clear. She didn't need to deal with the probable (if not pretended) thick-headedness of these strange monkeys.

"Perhaps," said the man in the green yukata. "Vongola is the most powerful of all mafia _famiglie_, and if Tsuna can alter its course, the whole mafia might follow."

"You want Tsuna to change the mafia?" asked Takeshi.

"That's all anyone in these sorts of worlds has ever wanted from Tsunayoshi-kun," said the creepy albino monkey. Hana had forgotten he was still beside her. "But he's never been able to, not before he loses our game."

"What game?" asked Takeshi. The creepy albino monkey simply smiled and narrowed his eyes to slits.

"His game can wait," said the man in the green yukata. Takeshi gave the man an almost irritated look, but the man ruffled Takeshi's hair and the look faded into confusion. The man retracted the hand. "Sorry, but that look didn't become your face. Your father probably wants you to talk about certain things that I would need to explain to go further. Your time is better spent helping those two over there."

The tilt of the man's head brought Hana's attention to the now upright couch. Tsuna and Fon had laid Tsuna's mother on it, and Tsuna had sat down on it and had replaced his mother's head on his lap. Fon sat next to the small brunette on the couch's armrest. Gokudera was looking longingly from his position next to Lancia (whom Hana's mind finally recognized), but the idiot monkey stayed with the man as the Reborn kid kept going over the man's prone form with something that looked like a colored flashlight. The woman looked very frail on her son's lap, but so did the small brunette as he brushed back her hair with his wide brown eyes staring blankly at the floor.

"Best you get her to Takesushi soon," continued the man in the green yukata. "She doesn't do well in these situations. And her son isn't doing much better. Taking them away from here might help their state of mind."

"That sounds like a great idea," said Takeshi, his grin reappearing though perhaps more strained than usual. "Would you be able to help us with Tsuna's mom?"

"You mean Mama? It would be my pleasure," said the man in the green yukata with an amused smile. For some reason, Takeshi's cheeks reddened a little. The man headed to the couch, and Hana followed watching him carefully. He bent down and met Tsuna's blank gaze. "Tsuna, we need to take her to Takesushi. She'll rest better in Yamamoto-san's care."

Tsuna didn't make a move to acknowledge the man in the green yukata, but he carefully and gently took the woman off Tsuna's lap. With the same care, he picked the woman up and carried her cradle style. The man's slim arms didn't look like they could carry that much weight, but the man held Tsuna's mother with ease. A strange blurrily indigo seemed to shimmer around the woman, but Hana blinked and it disappeared. The man exchanged glances with her and then Takeshi before moving back to the sidewalk.

"Come on, Tsuna," said Takeshi gently. He put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and gave the small brunette a grin too strained that Hana wanted to hit the taller boy so that he would erase it. "Dad'll help us. He'll know what to do. You know, I think he probably knows more about this mafia stuff than we do. We can find a way to get your brother back."

Tsuna lifted his eyes, and that horribly blank stare fell on Takeshi. Takeshi pulled the small brunette up, but Tsuna tripped and Hana reached out to steady the boy. Tsuna was trembling. Without realizing what she was doing, she gripped the arm she had steadied. The tightness of the grip made the blank gaze turn to her.

"Stop acting like such a monkey," she said in a growl. "You heard Takeshi. We'll find a way to bring him back."

The blank stare continued, and Hana suddenly couldn't take it any longer. She grabbed the head that held that blank stare and wrapped her arms around it. Tsuna's whole body stilled, and she whispered the words in his ear before she lost her courage.

"I promise we'll get your Tamaki back."

* * *

><p>Takeshi grinned at his father as Tsuna quietly followed the taller teen into the sushi shop. The old man didn't change his serious expression. Fon had excused himself after making sure that Takeshi's old man promised to keep an eye on Tsuna, or so Takeshi had guessed since neither his dad nor the small martial artist actually said those words. But Takeshi didn't think Fon would leave Tsuna without that promise, even with Lichi curled tightly around Tsuna's neck.<p>

"Takeshi, we need to talk," said Takeshi's old man, but then he caught sight of the too-quiet Tsuna. The old man hurried past Takeshi and looked Tsuna over. Takeshi guessed his dad couldn't do the whole one glance thing with Tsuna yet. When Takeshi was little, his mom had often said that keeping secrets from his old man was useless because the man could know exactly what Takeshi had been doing and where the boy had been with one glance. And Takeshi's dad had proven over and over that Takeshi's mom was right. The old man had been able to do it with Takeshi's mom too, so she couldn't get away with anything either. He couldn't do it with Tsuna, but Tsuna wouldn't be able to get away with things once the old man perfected the technique with the small brunette.

Takeshi's dad studied Tsuna for a long while, but then Tsuna's hard to study. Even Takeshi didn't have Tsuna completely down, but Takeshi would one day. A relieved smile decorated the old man's face as he finished his examination, but the smile quickly changed into a frown. Dark hazel eyes caught Takeshi's, and Takeshi straightened. "Come. It's better if we talk in the back. I've already closed for today. Tsuna, your mother is in the guest room with Lancia. Gokudera is keeping an eye on them for you, along with the man who claims to be your Uncle Kawahira. I would send the man away, but Lambo, I-pin, and Fuuta were upstairs playing hide-and-seek last time I checked on them and I prefer having the extra eyes up there."

Tsuna nodded and bowed in appreciation, but he still didn't say anything. The frown deepened as the old man started to walk to the back. Takeshi headed to the back too but stopped when he noticed Tsuna was still in the doorway. Hana gave the small brunette a little shove, and Tsuna's expression shifted slightly to surprise and confusion. The tall girl snorted and started towards Takeshi, but not before giving Tsuna another shove with her shoulder. Blinking, Tsuna gave a glance to the doorway that lead to the stairs and the guest room, but he began to walk behind them. The old man led them to the back and the dojo. Takeshi's dad gave Hana a hard glance, but he didn't say anything as she sat seiza on the wooden floor next to Tsuna. Takeshi grinned at his dad before sitting on Tsuna's other side.

"First, I must warn you that you should leave," said the old man, looking straight at Hana. Hana glanced at Tsuna who had bent his head to hide behind his bangs. Her dark brown eyes hardened, and Takeshi knew her answer. She wouldn't leave.

"I'll worry about the repercussions later," she said, crossing her arms. "If I leave now, these two monkeys will land themselves in even more trouble."

With a wry smile, Takeshi's dad sighed.

"I thought that wouldn't change your mind," he said. "My sister didn't."

Takeshi stared at his dad. His dad barely ever mentioned Aunt Masaki. She had died when Takeshi had been very young. Takeshi could remember a lady with long black hair and narrow grey eyes who had always asked if Takeshi had gotten his dad's sword yet. He could also remember the day a tall blonde man had come in the shop and talked to his dad in low tones. It had been the only time that Takeshi had seen his dad drop his knife. The lady with the long black hair had never come back after the tall blonde man's visit.

"We will do whatever we can to keep your family out of danger," Takeshi's dad continued, "but if you get involved in the mafia, they will never be truly safe."

"Life's full of danger," said Hana, her gaze hardening further. "No one is ever 'truly safe.'"

Takeshi's dad's smile widened and then he let out a laugh. Hana frowned and muttered something that about monkeys not changing as they grew older.

"Yes," said Takeshi's dad, a grin on his face. "No one is 'truly safe.' I am starting to see why Takeshi doesn't like arguing with you." The grin faded as he looked at Tsuna who hadn't moved. Takeshi's arm itched to wrap around Tsuna's shoulder, but now wasn't the time. "What has Tsuna told you about the mafia?"

"Nothing," said Hana. "But then I don't think he knows all that much about it."

"He should," said Takeshi's dad, narrowing his eyes. "What is your tutor teaching you?"

"I don't think the kid's taught him a lot," said Takeshi, scratching the back of his head. He grinned, taking in the two hard looks that landed on him. He didn't usually ignore his dad's warning gaze (or Hana's if he could keep from upsetting her), but Tsuna wasn't ready to talk. Tsuna actually didn't feel like he was in the room. Only his body was sitting between Hana and Takeshi. Maybe Tsuna was wherever Tamaki was, or maybe he was stuck back in that moment where Tamaki disappeared. So until Tsuna came back, Takeshi would answer for the small brunette, because Takeshi doubted he would be much better if Tsuna had been the one taken. "Tsuna hasn't had a lot of time to learn from him yet."

"Takeshi," his old man said firmly. "The mafia isn't a game."

Takeshi's hand froze as his grin slowly faded. The mafia wasn't a game. Takeshi knew that. The way Tsuna flinched every time Tamaki's "mafia" was mentioned, Gokudera's reaction to Tsuna's talking with the Vindice, Takeshi's dad shifting his knife grip when the kid came over on Tsuna's head, all those things had screamed at Takeshi that this "mafia" wasn't a game. So Takeshi knew it wasn't a game, but he hadn't…hadn't wanted to think about what that meant. Tsuna…Tsuna was part of the mafia, maybe the future boss to a very important mafia family...or rather _famiglia_. Tsuna wouldn't make a very good Mafioso, even though Tsuna would make a good boss.

"Yeah," Takeshi finally said, dropping his hand to his side. His dad's dark hazel eyes gazed sadly into Takeshi's. Takeshi would have grinned to keep his dad from worrying, but it wouldn't work. The old man would use his one glance method on Takeshi.

"I didn't want you to get involved with them," said Takeshi's dad, and slid his eyes to Tsuna. The experienced swordsman seemed to grow old. "Either of you. Mako gave up too much for us to be dragged back into that world again."

"Again?" asked Hana.

"Yes, again."


	35. Choices

Chapter 35: _Choices_

Takeshi's eyes didn't widen, but Tsuyoshi could see the shock mixed with anger and sadness in his son's eyes.

"What did Mom do?" asked Takeshi.

"Mako did what she had to," said Tsuyoshi, closing his eyes to envision the serious, graceful face with beautiful light hazel eyes. Takeshi had those same eyes. "She risked her life to save ours, yours, from that life."

"So you were in the mafia before you had Takeshi," said Hana.

"We were both in the mafia, though for very different reasons," said Tsuyoshi, glancing at the unresponsive small brunette. Tsuna and Mako would have gotten along wonderfully. Tsuyoshi could almost see the arguments between him and his wife would have had over how to handle Tsuna, and Masaki would have joined in the arguments simply to make them worse and see if Mako would finally snap and throw something sharp at her. Neither of the two women deserved the ends they received, but now was not the time to explain what happened to the most important women in Tsuyoshi's life. No, these children needed to know what the mafia was capable of, why he did not want any of them in that world. And Tsuyoshi did not need to mention either woman to accomplish that goal. "When I was younger, my whole goal in life was to master and inherit my master's _Shigure Soen Ryu_. I never planned to use it outside of my master's dojo, unlike my fellow disciple Keichi."

The memory of the dark-skinned half-American man stung. Keichi had left the same day that their master had explained the _Shigure Soen Ryu_'s final form. The embittered man wanted to find a way to tear apart the men who had killed his parents and left him orphaned in the Land of the Rising Sun. Their master had disowned Keichi when the old man learned of Kechi's plans, and Tsuyoshi had agreed with their master's decision. He had known that revenge would bring nothing but more suffering. He hadn't understood how Keichi could cling to hatred so strongly. But after Keichi's brief return, Tsuyoshi had understood all too well.

"Keichi fell into the dangerous trap of trying to make a living off sharpening his sword, and he went in too deep," Tsuyoshi continued, his voice growing lower and more serious. "He came back to the dojo one day covered in blood and carrying an equally bloody woman in his arms. Our master turned him away. I didn't understand why our master turned him away, but I was prepared to go along and honor our master's decision. But Keichi begged, he pleaded with our master, not for himself but for the woman. Our master still refused. But I couldn't. I went behind our master's back and made sure the two received treatment by the new disciple to the dojo. Takeru saved their lives. Keichi disappeared the next day, taking the woman with him. The next day, three men in black suits came.

"Our master told the truth, that he had turned Keichi away, but one of them noticed the faint bloodstains on Takeru's socks. Takeru only wore that pair in the dojo. He said they had a special charm on them that his sister had cast, so he refused to wear any others when training, even though we trained every day." The vivid image of a brown haired, bespectacled young man clutching white socks stitched so many times that they looked like miniature quilts ran barefoot through Tsuyoshi's memory followed by an irritated old man with a pair of scissors, and the scent of soap mixed with a faded acrid smell that filled Tsuyoshi's nose. But the image faded to one stained red, and the smell became sharp and metallic. Tsuyoshi closed his eyes and used the blank darkness to push the memory back. "They killed Takeru and claimed that it was an example of what would happen to me if our master should lie to them again. I intervened and told them that I had been the one to take care of Keichi and the woman. They demanded I tell them which way Keichi took the woman. I told them I had no idea where he went, but they didn't believe me. They attacked our master, who fought back. I fought with him, but one of the men pulled out a gun and aimed at me. Our master deflected the bullet, but the distraction caused the second man to shove an uncoordinated slash with an inferior sword in our master's direction and unbalance our master long enough to pull a gun and shoot him in between the eyes. They pointed at me and gave me one last chance to 'tell them the truth.' I prepared to die, but then the three fell to the ground."

Tsuyoshi remembered the shock he had felt when he saw the men dropped to the floor like downed trees. That shock was reflected in his son and the tall girl's eyes. But the clear brown eyes, the ones that Tsuyoshi had expected to shine with a strange empathy and pain when Tsuyoshi had finally deemed the boys ready to hear the tale, remained hidden. Tsuyoshi pressed on.

"A strange voice piped up beside me and apologized for not arriving sooner. I didn't see anyone until I looked down. A tiny figure in a master's Northern Kung Fu uniform stood next me."

He waited for a second, hoping the words would spark something, but the small brunette remained still. The man bent down lower and reached out to tilt Tsuna's chin upwards in order to catch a glimpse the terribly blank brown eyes.

"So that's how you met Tsuna's master?" asked Takeshi. Takeshi shook his head, asking his father to leave the small brunette be, but Tsuyoshi could not leave Tsuna like this. The man could not stand to see either of his boys in pain.

"Tsuna," Tsuyoshi said imbedding a command in the boy's name as he had often done with Takeshi. The blank eyes shivered with movement before returning to their blankness. Tsuyoshi moved his lips to say more, but no noise passed them. The story Tsuyoshi had thought necessary wasn't. Not for Tsuna. For the girl, for Takeshi, the story might have impact. They would not make the choice to enter this dark world blind like Tsuyoshi had. But Tsuna…Tsuna had no choice. His world had already been tainted by that dark world. By his father's absence, by his mother's hospitalization years ago, by his brother's ascension to the primary candidate for the position of Vongola boss, Tsuna had already suffered at the mafia's hands. And now Tsuna had suffered again because of that wretched world. Tsuyoshi tried again, his voice softer. "Tsuna, look at me."

The brown eyes barely flickered, but Tsuyoshi stared straight at them.

"I don't want to have anything to do with the mafia," said Tsuyoshi. "But Keichi did. So I went in to search for him, and it cost me dearly to escape. I never wanted my children to have anything to do with that world."

A spark flashed into the brown eyes, but it was one of guilt. Tsuyoshi released the boy's chin and ruffled the boy's hair. The spark of guilt faded and changed into confusion, the same confusion that made Tsuyoshi want to cut down the cause. A boy, no matter how old, should not be confused by affection.

"I never thought that it would actively seek out any of them," said Tsuyoshi softly. Tsuna's eyes widened and then darkened.

"I'm sorry," said Tsuna quietly. "I didn't mean to get Takeshi involv-"

"No," said Tsuyoshi. "You."

Tsuna jerked back, as if the word physically hit him, and mouthed a "me." He would have leaned back, but Tsuyoshi stopped the boy by giving the small brunette a hard look.

"And if that world will not leave you alone," said Tsuyoshi, his eyes narrowing dangerously enough for Tsuna to straighten and position himself instinctively to counter any surprise attack. Tsuyoshi almost grinned with pride at the small brunette's action. At least, Mako would agree, neither of his boys were defenseless. But that didn't mean that Tsuyoshi would stop being their father. He stared straight into his youngest's eyes. "Then I will once again take my sword into it."

* * *

><p>Tsuna's mouth had fallen open, but Hana cut him off.<p>

"So you brought Tsuna here to offer your services as a swordsman to his…_famiglia_," said Hana.

"I wanted to convince you to keep from getting involved," said Takeshi's dad grinning widely and looking at Hana. "But I guess you wouldn't listen to anything I say about staying away now."

"After you all but swore your allegiance to Tsuna, no, I wouldn't," said Hana. "I can't think of any argument you could have used that would have convinced me to leave these two on their own."

"That would be difficult, to convince a master of words with words," said a new voice from the back of the dojo. Takeshi forced himself to turn around slowly as his dad told him to when he sensed danger but could not identify it. The man from earlier was leaning against the dojo's back wall as if he had been there the whole time. Fingering the handle of _Shigure Kintoki_, Takeshi watched Tsuna. The small brunette didn't move, and Takeshi gripped his swords hilt and pushed back the urge to make Tsuna look at them. "Nana-san is settled in the guest bedroom with Lancia-san watching over her. Gokudera told me he went to secure the perimeter after he checked on the little ones. Apparently one of them is very good at hiding, because Gokudera quit looking for him."

"I am glad for your assistance," said Takeshi's dad, and Takeshi could hear the sharpness in his old man's voice. "But who are you?"

A silence followed the question, and the man grew pale.

"I thought you already knew who I was," said the man scratching the back of his white hair. "I guess I should go then."

"You'd leave instead of telling us who you are," said Takeshi's dad.

"I will not stay where I am not welcomed," said the man as he blurred around the edges.

"They took Tamaki," said Tsuna quietly. The man stopped blurring. Tsuna turned to look at the man, and Takeshi froze. Those brown eyes looked ready to shatter. "They came after me, but they took Tamaki. Why did they take Tamaki?"

"The _Augurio _maskedyour presence," said the man. "Byakuran-kun and I simply made it hard to see you."

"But why," Tsuna continued. "Why did they…did they take him?"

"They thought they were taking you," said another voice. Takeshi's grip on _Shigure Kintoki_ tightened as Tsuna's gaze slid over to the speaker. The other white haired guy from earlier, Byakuran, appeared at the door. He came out of thin air like the man did. Maybe the two were magicians? "They couldn't sense another sky flame, so they assumed that your brother was studying in Italy."

"They thought…he was me…," Tsuna whispered, the darkening brown eyes hiding back under Tsuna's bangs. "They took Tamaki because they thought…they thought…."

"Don't even start," said Hana, her hands gripping her elbows tightly. "It's not your faul—"

Takeshi shook his head, stopping Hana's next words. He didn't really know why she stopped. Hana wasn't one to stop once she started, which was the reason that even Gokudera didn't like making Hana mad. But something on Takeshi's face must have convinced Hana to stop, if only for a little bit. Takeshi gave her a small smile that made her frown but stay quiet. Hana meant well, but Tsuna wouldn't listen. Because Tsuna didn't believe lies.

"Tsuna," Takeshi said softly. Tsuna didn't respond right away, but Takeshi waited. Sometimes you had to wait to get the perfect pitch. Slowly, Tsuna peeked out, and dark, dark brown eyes met Takeshi. They were so heavy, and Takeshi's chest constricted under their weight. Takeshi took a deep breath like his mom had taught him when she showed him how to bat. She had said to never be afraid to swing, because whenever he needed to hit the ball, he would. "We'll get him back."

Tsuna blinked, and some of the darkness in the brown eyes faded.

"How?" Tsuna said so low that Takeshi could barely hear it. But Takeshi didn't really need to hear it.

"I don't know," Takeshi said, grinning and scratching the back of his head. "But we need to, right?"

Tsuna smiled a little, but it fell quickly. Hana sighed.

"If you're really serious," said Hana, "you should probably start from what you know and work it out logically. Apparently, these Vindice people consider false deals or breaking deals almost like a capital offense. So how can we use that against them?"

"Use it against them?" said Tsuna, his brows tightening and meeting. He turned to the man. "Uncle Kawahira, how do we contact the Vindice?"

"Why would he know how to contact them?" asked Hana, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Because Uncle Kawahira knows a lot of things," said Tsuna. "And Mugetsu helps Uncle Kawahira keep track of all the things that happen in Namimori."

"Mugetsu?" asked Takeshi. Tsuna nodded as he reached up and grabbed a long tube of fur from the air. It wiggled in his hand before it wrapped itself around Tsuna's shoulders. Lichi squeaked fiercely and batted the furry tube, but the tube dodged and perched on Tsuna's head instead.

"This is Mugetsu," said Tsuna, and one end of the wiggly furry tube rubbed itself against Tsuna's cheek, earning another bat from the little white monkey. Unfortunately, Lichi's arms were too short, and the furry tube lifted itself back onto Tsuna's head before the little monkey could do any damage.

"What is it?" asked Hana.

"A failed experiment," said the Byakuran guy. Takeshi shifted to stay in between Tsuna and the white haired teen. "What do you plan to do by contacting the Vindice? Do you plan to take your brother's place?"

Tsuna stilled, and Hana sighed.

"I've already told you," said Byakuran now standing right beside Tsuna. "I don't want your brother's flames."

A slash later, he stood several feet away from Tsuna and a few inches away from Takeshi's sword.

"I think I prefer your guard dog," said Byakuran, still smiling calmly. "I doubt this one will wait for orders."

"Gokudera's not a dog," Tsuna said in a sigh. He hesitated, and Tsuna's coach tone flickered uncertainly. "I…I don't think the Vindice would believe me."

"Then why do you want to contact them?" asked Hana.

"I don't," said Tsuna. Takeshi didn't move his sword as he glanced back at Tsuna. One look at the orange tinted eyes, and Takeshi almost grinned. Tsuna had a really good idea, like when they were practicing for the kid's birthday and Tsuna suggested the trick with the breathing so that they could complete the form.

"So who do you want to contact the Vindice?" asked Byakuran. Tsuna gave Takeshi another glance, and Takeshi lowered _Shigure Kintoki_ slowly but kept it sharp at his side.

"I want to talk to Yamamoto-san about something first," said Tsuna. "And I want to ask you a favor. Please keep Irie-kun occupied."

"A favor?" said the white haired teen amused. "Favors usually warrant repayment."

"Not between friends," said Tsuna, causing Takeshi to blink. The young swordsman could see Hana pressing her head into her palm, and Takeshi's dad giving Tsuna the same look Takeshi got when the young swordsman did something dumb like try eating a customer's sushi behind the old man's back.

"Friends?" asked Byakuran, the smile in place as an eyebrow quirked upwards.

"Only friends play games with each other," said Tsuna.

"We always play our game whether you like it or not," said Byakuran.

"But wouldn't it be more interesting if I played because I wanted to?"

The white haired teen hummed, and Takeshi trusted Tsuna enough not to slash _Shigure Kintoki _at the dangerous teen's arm as it moved to hover right over Tsuna's forehead.

"You may lose," said the white-haired teen, and Tsuna gave him a small, unsure smile that seemed to make his eyes flash brown again.

"But we'll be friends," said Tsuna. The hover hand fell back to its owner's side.

"That would be a different twist to our game," said Byakuran. "But it's hard for one sky, whether it has fallen or not, to be drawn to another. Though you never have seemed to have a trouble with drawing in anyone, especially other skies."

Stretching his arms casually over his head as if the white haired teen hadn't sounded like he wanted to be on a team he shouldn't be on, he turned around and looked over his shoulder at Tsuna.

"I think that I will give you a better favor, Tsunayoshi-kun," said Byakuran. "I'll better your chances of rescuing your brother. And then you'll owe me more than one."

The white haired teen vanished before anyone else could ask what he meant. Takeshi let the sword fall as the tension on Tsuna's shoulders undid itself. The narrow piece of fur on Tsuna's head slithered off and floated in the air before disappearing like Byakuran. The trick must not be hard to do if a strange piece of fur could do it.

"I will tell you all that I know about the Vindice's movements in the area," said the man with the white hair, "but I will not tell you how to contact the Vindice until I hear your whole plan."

Nodding, Tsuna looked at Hana who frowned.

"I don't think that the moronic monkey king worth saving," said Hana, but she reached over for her bag. Opening, she took out a notebook and a mechanical pencil. "But he is your brother, so let's get this over with."

Tsuna gave Takeshi a small smile that looked very little like Tsuna's real one, but Takeshi grinned at Tsuna anyway. They would get Tsuna's smile back.

* * *

><p>"At least none of the kids were here," said Fon conversationally, hoping to catch the other's attention. Reborn didn't move from his spot on the corner of the sidewalk and kept writing in a large black notebook. As the hitman finished his overview inspection of the remnants of the Sawada residence, Fon sighed and reminded himself that he didn't want to attract the attention of the Man in the Iron Hat by provoking a fight with the hitman. Besides, Reborn had enough trouble. The house was salvageable. With Vongola resources, it would be good as new in less than a week. The problem lay in getting those resources.<p>

"Are you going to Italy?" asked Fon. Reborn didn't say anything, but Fon had spent enough time around the hitman recently to see the slight tension that passed through the hitman. Reborn took off his hat and dusted it as Leon perched in the hitman's shoulder.

"You will keep an eye on our student while I am gone," commanded Reborn, and Fon let it pass without the usual amused smile. If it weren't for this hitman, their student would have been taken by the Vindice instead of his brother. Reborn had been the one to convince Tsuna to wear Kawahira's emblem around the boy's neck at all times.

"How long will you be?" asked Fon, watching the other closely. The hitman put the hat back on and gave no real signs of distress. Leon clambered back onto the hat, and Reborn turned unfathomable black eyes on Fon.

"However long it takes to get there and come back," said Reborn. "I don't trust you to keep Dame-Tsuna out of trouble longer than that."

Fon flinched but took the rebuke for what it was. Last time, the martial artist hadn't realized Tsuna had gone anywhere near danger until the boy had landed in the hospital. This time, Fon would keep a closer eye on the boy.

"He'll probably plan to rescue the brat."

"Most probably," answered Fon. The martial artist was not overly fond of the younger twin, but Fon knew that Tsuna would do anything to keep Tamaki safe. "Will you bring back reinforcements?"

The hitman snorted. "As if I could keep them from coming."

Fon frowned. He doubted that one of those reinforcements would be welcomed.

"I suggest you warn him that he will be coming into a hostile situation."

"If after our meeting is done, he doesn't figure it out, I won't be warning him," said the hitman, his tone deepening far under an infant's normal range. "Idiots won't understand warnings."

"He does strike one as idiot-like," said Fon. "At least after spending any time with his son. If he does insist on coming, the Akai Shigure and I want to have a word with him."

"I'll be certain to send him your way," said the hitman with a dark smirk. It disappeared under the shadow of the hitman's fedora. "Do not let our student do anything stupid."

Fon nodded. The martial artist would stop their student with force if necessary. The memory of widening obsidian black eyes and then the feeling of a sky flame wrapped in colorless flames would not allow Fon to do anything less. That brief instant where Fon had forgotten the _Augurio_ around their student's neck had left a deep ache in Fon's chest that the martial artist never wanted to feel in full again.

"I will return in no less than 34 hours," said Reborn from under his fedora's shadows. No amused smile came to Fon's face. Instead an understanding softened the martial artist's features. Reborn wasn't as heartless as the hitman liked to make everyone think he was. Who would want to leave a reckless student to report that he had lost another? While anyone who had spent several minutes in the combined company of Reborn and Tamaki could see that the hitman held no feelings other than annoyance and utter scorn for the younger twin, the bratty child was the hitman's charge, the hitman's responsibility. And Reborn took his responsibilities seriously. "I will find him unharmed when I return."

"Yes," said Fon. He resisted mentioning how repetition was often associated with nervousness or worry. The hitman snorted as if hearing the unspoken comment. Reborn turned to go, but Fon had one more question. "What will I tell Tsuna when he asks where you are?"

"Tell him I've gone to inform his father that one of his sons is missing."

* * *

><p>Shoichi sat dejectedly at the desk, staring at the incomplete design for the new Box. Gokudera had suggested trying to recalibrate the setting to use the flames as not only a power source for opening and closing the Box and compacting or expanding the objects inside but also using them as "objects" themselves. With slow, arduous collaboration and experimentation over e-mail, they had discovered five different types of flames that reacted to only certain alloys.<p>

The method to extract the flames differed depending on the flame. Each kind of flame manifested with different…thoughts. Or so Gokudera had explained in the e-mails. Shoichi could only use one type, the one he got when he focused on his family and more recently his friends. The image of their faces impressed with Shoichi's work would light up alloy number 51 every time. Gokudera needed to remember something that as the silver haired teen put it (and Shoichi wasn't sure the other teen would have said this if they had been face to face, but Gokudera had a certain expressive flair when he wrote, especially about Tsuna) made him feel lighter to light alloy number 51 a light yellow. Number 59 required Gokudera to imagine an attack on Tsuna to glow a deep, angry red. Memories of lunches on the roof lit alloy number 80 a churning sea blue. With number 67, the thought of keeping Tsuna from harm at the cost of Gokudera's own health usually did the trick and lit the alloy a sparking green.

The alloys responded depending on the person, so perhaps there would be a way to store the flames and allow anyone use of the alloys. Shoichi had hoped the new system would work so that anyone could open the boxes. Though the boxes didn't need the same focus as the alloys, only certain people could open the boxes. For example, only Shoichi and Tsuna could open the original prototype, which is why only Tsuna and Shoichi still had it. Shoichi had wanted to give Tsuna a new Box, one more suited to the small brunette, but the time hadn't been right yet. Shoichi hadn't even been able to tell Gokudera about the sixth workable alloy.

By accident, Fran had picked up alloy number 26, and it had lit up a foggy purple, or rather more of an indigo. The discovery of a new flame had sent Shoichi's mind spinning. If there was another flame, maybe there were two, three, maybe a dozen more. If each flame had its own property like the five (now six), then a world of possibilities opened. Plans for inventions using the current six preyed on Shoichi's thoughts and concentration on the new Box design. Shoichi knew that improving the Box and containing the flames was the first step, but the excitement had not let Shoichi focus. Or at least it hadn't until Shoichi had actually tried to talk to Gokudera or Tsuna.

Putting down the paper with the new design without scribbling a single new note onto it, Shoichi let his head fall into his folded arms and looked to the left. His stomach churned at the sight of the red circle on the calendar right in front of his nose. He couldn't tell the Gesso Corporation that he didn't have a new prototype ready because he was having trouble talking to his friends. But Shoichi couldn't find the energy to continue his modifications to the Box design. He wanted to discuss the attributes of the differing flames and their relation to color, why opening the Boxes required less focus than lighting the alloys, and the change in the intensity of the flames that one person could produce compared to another's with Gokudera. And Shoichi wanted to see Tsuna's face when he gave the small brunette a new modified Box with the alloy that best fit the brunette, like alloy 59 fit Gokudera. Maybe one day, Shoichi could give one to Takeshi that the baseball player could open and finally convince Hana to take one by licensing the Boxes and selling them to the general public and proving they weren't dangerous.

The word dangerous made Shoichi push upwards and look away from the red circle as the incident from yesterday reverberated through his head again. It had started because Byakuran had decided to go house hunting. The Gesso Corporation heir had decided that the Shoichi apartment was too small. The apartment had been set for three people, and five was a tight squeeze. Shoichi's mother hadn't commented on the extra people since she was usually at work, but Ran hadn't stopped complaining. Shoichi had no idea why his sister thought she could complain when he was the one having to share his room with two other people. And the complaining didn't make any sense when Ran took every opportunity to ogle Byakuran. Shoichi's stomach turned at the thought that his sixteen-year-old sister had a crush on his boss's son/stalker, so Shoichi had happily agreed that Byakuran should find somewhere else to stay.

Unfortunately, Shoichi had found himself helping Byakuran with the house hunting and in a house where they found Tsuna and the others in a garage that stunk of a bitter smell, a mix of blood and sweat and something more acidic. The whole scene burned in Shoichi's memory and churned his stomach almost painfully. So many questions had formed on his lips. How had Tsuna and the others gotten into such a place and why? Why did the place seem so dangerous, not to Tsuna and the others, but to everyone else? And then Shoichi noticed the stains on Tsuna's uniform, and the questions became impossible to ask. A tight trembling shook Shoichi's stomach and caused it to grow hot with shame. Not because of Byakuran's vicious teasing, but because for that short second, Shoichi had been scared of Tsuna.

Gokudera could be frightening with his quick temper and unknown amount of explosives (which thanks to Shoichi's Boxes were probably enough to blow up a small city twice). Hana could use her words to bring even the greatest of men into submission. Even Takeshi had his scary side with his bat slung over his shoulder. But Tsuna…even at Tsuna's most dangerous, Tsuna would never hurt anyone he considered a friend, and that included Shoichi. According to Gokudera's e-mails, the small brunette would hurt himself before he hurt someone else, even if they were an enemy. And still, when Shoichi had seen Tsuna splattered with blood, terror had squeezed Shoichi's stomach, and it had felt wrong. Shoichi couldn't, shouldn't, be scared of Tsuna. Heat had filled Shoichi's cheeks, but no one had noticed the young inventor's short-lived fear, except for maybe Byakuran. That man knew everything, even if he was the same age as Tsuna and the others. But it didn't matter if the albino heir knew or not, because Shoichi knew. And the whole idea of being scared of Tsuna felt as wrong as when Shoichi had tried to light the other "workable" alloys.

"You shouldn't dwell on it," said a voice, Byakuran. Usually, Shoichi would have jumped at the man's entrance, but he merely turned to look at the albino heir and gazed dully at him. The young inventor valued his job (and life) too much to glare at Byakuran.

"Do you need something?" asked Shoichi blankly to hide his irritation. He didn't want to blame Byakuran for all the recent problems, but the albino heir seemed to have everything to do with them. The redhead picked up the unchanged designs and examined them again. Maybe Byakuran would leave the inventor alone if Shoichi looked busy. But then, business had never stopped the white haired teen from doing what he wanted before.

"We need to go talk to Tsunayoshi-kun," said Byakuran with that smile. A heat that had nothing to with shame overcame Shoichi's cheeks.

"No," the inventor growled and stood up. "Leave Tsuna-sempai alone."

"I haven't seen you this angry before," said the albino heir, tilting his head slightly and examining Shoichi's face. A panic swept through the inventor as he realized who was on the receiving end of his glare, but the amused smile on Byakuran's face quickly erased Shoichi's panic and replaced it with worry. Shoichi had to stop Byakuran from continuing to play with Tsuna's mind. The young inventor intensified the glare. He'd worry about his job later. The glare seemed to have the opposite effect since Byakuran's smile returned. "Tsunayoshi-kun truly is a powerful sky."

"Please, leave Tsuna-sempai alone," said Shoichi, dropping the glare. It wasn't doing any good, so perhaps a different tactic would work. Shoichi wished he had actual skills when it came to persuasive argument, but he would do his best. "It's hard to have a normal conversation with my friends with you making those odd comments."

Byakuran's smile widened further, and the violet eyes closed into slits. Shoichi grabbed his stomach when it clenched, Shoichi's healthy fear of his boss's son quickly returning. The young inventor recognized that expression as Byakuran's "about-to-mess-with-your-head" face.

"You could do it," said the albino heir, and Shoichi's stomach clenched tighter. "You could destroy the misfortune that attacks the sky and his, if they can get past the archaic 'with your own body' part."

"With my own body?" Shoichi repeated, before clamping his mouth shut. He knew better than to let Byakuran know that the young inventor was paying the albino heir any attention. Byakuran continued to wear that smile as he popped a marshmallow in his mouth. Shoichi had hoped that since the albino heir couldn't to find his favorite brand in Japan, he would quit eating (and forcing Shoichi to eat) the white fluff, but the albino heir must have had them flown in.

"Didn't you hear me? 'Your own body' wouldn't work with you," said Byakuran as another piece of sweet gooey sugar disappeared into his mouth. He leaned forward and poked Shoichi in the head with a marshmallow. "But with your brain, you should have no trouble."

"What are yo—?" Shoichi started before catching himself too late.

"Would you like to become a permanent part of that sky?" asked Byakuran. "It would benefit us both. You could talk to your friends 'normally' despite my presence, and when I finally convince Tsunayoshi-kun to hand over his power, I will have one of you on my side."

This time, Shoichi kept himself from asking the obvious. None of this conversation was making sense, and Shoichi didn't want it to make sense. If Byakuran was up to something, Shoichi would rather have nothing to do with it. Shoichi's stomach bubbled unpleasantly on top of clenching. No, the young inventor would return to his work and pretend this conversation never happened.

"You aren't scared of him."

The bubbling turned to ice. Byakuran had noticed Shoichi's stupidity. And whatever Byakuran was about to say would probably make Shoichi's stomach worse.

"Please, leave," said Shoichi, turning back to his desk and away from the albino heir. The young inventor didn't want to get pulled further into the albino's mind games. Byakuran had never used his more devious manipulations on Shoichi, mostly because they didn't work all the time (Shoichi grew more immune the longer he had exposure to them) and because the albino claimed to be Shoichi's friend, but this game…it verged on exactly that sort of manipulation.

"He's in danger," said Byakuran. Another albino lying unconscious under some bushes flashed through Shoichi's mind as the excuse the young inventor gave the police sounded in his head. The other albino had tried to break into the house, and so Byakuran and Shoichi had stopped him and ended up using too much force, knocking the other albino unconscious. The police hadn't believed Shoichi's quickly thought up lie right away, because the only visible wound on the unconscious albino had been a diagonal slash across the chest. The slash had been more a bruise than a cut, but it had obviously been caused by a long, hard weapon, likely by a sword on the blunt side. Thanks to the house owner's son (who Fran had persuaded to help them) and Byakuran's ability to make anyone believe whatever the young businessman said, the police had eventually believed Shoichi's lie with the added explanation that the other albino had fallen across the hard corner of a table.

When Shoichi had gone to Europe, the young inventor had thought that the others would not have to fight again. The Box had been bought, and no one would attempt to steal it and face the Gesso Corporation's wrath. And so Shoichi had contented himself that Takeshi would never have an actual reason to use the sword skills the baseball player had been learning. The skills Takeshi had used against the other albino.

"What danger?" asked Shoichi. His stomach swished, and the bubbling pushed unpleasantly up his esophagus.

"Tsunayoshi-kun's twin has been kidnapped," said Byakuran. "And they need someone to make a way to get him back."

"Kidnapped?" whispered Shoichi, as his mind joined his stomach and swirled. Shoichi had only met Tsuna's twin yesterday morning, and the young inventor hadn't been impressed. The younger twin was nothing like Tsuna. Tamaki had been rude and dismissive of Shoichi and Fran and had actually ignored Byakuran. Then again, Byakuran might have been hiding from the annoying brunette. How the albino heir could hide in plain sight baffled Shoichi, but if Shoichi could have hidden from Tsuna's younger twin, he would have hidden too. But the annoying brunette was Tsuna's younger brother, and Shoichi had seen how much Tsuna cared for the younger twin by the way Tsuna had made sure the other brunette ate and didn't forget his lunch. Like Ran sometimes did with Shoichi, only Tsuna was less annoying in the way he did it.

"Perhaps it will be easier to explain it this way," said Byakuran, his smile back on his face. When had it left? "Why don't you introduce Tsunayoshi to Choice?"

"Choice?" asked Shoichi. His whole world spun into a stop. Byakuran's smile had reappeared, which meant it had disappeared. Byakuran never lied without his smile. Tsuna was in trouble. Shoichi's stomach turned, and Shoichi looked towards the door.

"Like I said," said Byakuran, smile shifting to a slightly different expression. "You were never scared of Tsunayoshi-kun. You're suffering from the curse of all those who care for that reckless sky. You're scared for him."


	36. Planning Stages

Chapter 36: _Planning Stages_

According to Hana, they couldn't be sure that the Vindice took Tamaki in place of Tsuna simply because two strange men said so without actual confirmation. The Vindice might have taken the short brunette for some other reason. Neither Byakuran nor Uncle Kawahira had been lying, and Tsuna knew, as he had known that Tamaki had been in trouble, that the Vindice had come for Tsuna, not Tamaki. But Hana insisted that the situation changed too much if the Vindice took Tamaki as Tamaki because of a deal with another _famiglia_ (she had adjusted quickly to the idea of Tsuna being connected to the real mafia) or some "law" Tamaki broke. If the Vindice didn't know that Tsuna and Tamaki were twins (according to Gokudera who came halfway into the discussion, no one in the mafia knew that Vongola had twin heirs), several options opened up. Hana did admit that she couldn't figure out what these options were without more information about the situation.

She had spoken that admission with a glare at Tsuna's head. Tsuna guessed (or rather knew) that the glare wasn't meant for him. Rolling his shoulders, Tsuna tipped his head back to sit straighter, as if there wasn't a weight on his head. After all, there wasn't. He was too used to the weight that usually rested there. He had not expected to miss it. Fon sat quietly on Tsuna's shoulder, but the reassuring weight on his shoulder didn't seem to be enough. Tsuna ignored his greed and returned his attention to his friends. If it weren't for them, Tsuna would have gone straight for that place and stayed there. But then, that place belonged to Uncle Kawahira, and Uncle Kawahira had stopped Tsuna from rescuing Tamaki.

"So we need to find a way to find out what the Vindice knows," said Takeshi.

"Yes," said Hana. "And to be honest, Tsuna's idea is our best option to figuring that out."

"Of course," said Gokudera. "Tsuna-sama came up with it."

"Gokudera, could you please see if Lancia is up?" asked Tsuna quietly. According to the bomber, whatever Reborn had done to "fix" Lancia had left Lancia nearly healed. The man should be awake, and they needed him to continue. And Uncle Kawahira could watch his mother, but… "And would you stay and watch my mother?"

"That won't be necessary," said a voice from the door. Lancia leaned heavily against the door's frame, and at his side stood Tsuna's mother. Identical brown eyes met, and Fon jumped off Tsuna's shoulder as the woman rushed forward and engulfed Tsuna in her arms. Drops dripped on Tsuna's head, and Tsuna's own eyes stung.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna babbled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—I'm sorry. I'll get Tamaki ba—"

A sudden squeeze stopped the flow of Tsuna's words. Hair brushed Tsuna's cheeks as his mother shook her head.

"You were careful," said his mother, a desperate pitch to her words. "You're alright. It's not your fault."

Tsuna's heart lurched, and Tsuna slowly pushed out of the embrace. He looked at his hands, marveling at how little they were shaking. They barely quivered.

"It is my fault," Tsuna whispered. The quivering barely moved his hands. If he stared hard enough, they barely looked like they were moving. "I made a deal and pretended to be Tamaki. And the people who I pretended to be Tamaki with…they were the ones who took Tamaki."

"Deal?" asked his mother, her voice almost as quiet as his. "What…why would you make a deal, Tsu-kun?"

"To save my life," said Lancia. Tsuna flinched. "Your son risked his freedom to give me mine."

"Tsu-kun…risked his life…," said a quieter version of his mother's voice. "And Tamaki is…"

"Tamaki's in the place where Lancia would have been…where I should be," finished Tsuna. He closed his eyes, not even wanting to look at his white knuckled hands. He opened his mouth to continue the explanation, but a hand grabbed his chin, and he closed his mouth in surprise.

"No," said his mother, her eyes shiny and dark. "I couldn't…You don't need to…" She pressed her forehead to his, causing Tsuna's hands to still completely. She hadn't done this since before…before the hospital. Before Tamaki had stopped being Oto-kun and become Tamaki-san. Before _his_ visits had gone down to only once a year. Before…everything had changed. Light collected at the edge of her eyes and slid down her cheek, and Tsuna immediately went to put his arms around her. But his mother grabbed his hands with hers and forced them down. "Tsu-kun, I'm sorry."

Tsuna opened his mouth again, and his mother shook her head, her forehead lightly touching his. A nostalgia fell over Tsuna and silenced him.

"I've failed you," she whispered. "I never made sure you knew…I need you both."

Tsuna held his breath, and another tear traced a trail down his mother's cheek.

"I don't…I don't want to lose you too. You don't need to save Tama. Your Papa will—"

"No," said Tsuna, his voice hardening and causing his mother to stiffen in surprise. He pulled back a little and then kissed her softly on the cheek. "I will get Tamaki back."

"You are forgetting something," said Fon. Lichi, who had been resting on Fon's head, squeaked in agreement, leapt onto Tsuna's neck, scrambled into Tsuna's shirt, and poke his head out of Tsuna's collar, gripping it as if to say he wouldn't let go. Tsuna gave the stubborn monkey a small smile.

"I understand, _Shisho_," said Tsuna, looking straight into his mother's worried brown eyes. "We will get Tamaki back."

* * *

><p>Fran stared at Byakuran and wondered again why Fran had decided to follow the weird albino. Byakuran glance back at Fran, and Fran remembered why. Life before the Byakuran had been worse than Byakuran. Besides, Fran thought back to lunch, the food was really good. Maybe when they got to the Sawada house, Fran could convince Tsunayoshi to make another bento.<p>

"Sempai," Fran said. "Didn't Tsunayoshi-san tell you to keep Inventor-chan away?"

"He said what?" cried the redhead inventor.

"He said he didn't want you at his house, Shoichi-san," replied Fran. Byakuran sent Fran a dirty look that Fran ignored. The redheaded inventor needed to know.

"He didn't want me?" said Shoichi, wrapping his arms tighter around the papers he was holding around his stomach.

"Tsunayoshi-kun doesn't normally want what's good for him," said Byakuran. "He's too busy being hopelessly benevolent."

"W-what?" asked Shoichi confused. He should be used to Byakuran's strange comments. The albino did it on purpose to annoy people.

"Sempai's being cryptic again."

"A kohai should be quiet while their sempai is talking," said Byakuran. "Irie-kun, do you want to help Tsunayoshi-kun? Or would you rather let him face the danger alone?"

"Tsunayoshi-kun seems to have too many friends to be alone," said Fran, earning another piercing glare from Byakuran.

"Yes," said Byakuran. "But he doesn't have anyone smart enough on his side to help him win. And with his current opponents, he will need all the help he can get."

"Weren't you supposed to be his opponent, Sempai?" asked Fran.

"I will be," said Byakuran, his purple gaze boring into Fran. "What did I say about being quiet, Fran-chan?"

Fran made a zipping motion across the mouth and pretended to turn the key and lock. The frog hatted teen knew when to stop, not that Fran always heeded the warning. But Byakuran wasn't a person who Fran could play around with too much. The albino knew too much.

"How will Choice help?" asked Shoichi.

"It'll be more fun to explain it to Tsunayoshi-kun, besides I have full faith that you'll figure it out," said Byakuran. He walked up to the sushi bar's door and opened it. "After you, Irie-kun."

Looking between the albino and the entrance, Shoichi hugged the papers tighter against his stomach and went in. Fran followed the redhead, not wanting to be behind an angry Sempai.

"Tsuna-sempai," Shoichi called out. He tried again a little louder, since no one came out into the empty dining area. "Tsuna-sempai!"

"Irie-kun?" said a quiet voice. Fran tipped the hat to the side, nearly unbalancing and falling to the floor, in order to better hear that voice. How could one word sound so different coming from two different people? Tsunayoshi didn't sound like Byakuran at all. But then Fran hadn't heard anyone else call Shoichi "Irie-kun." Not even Shoichi's other friends. At least they hadn't at lunch.

Shoichi had tried to sneak off to go meet Tsunayoshi near noon, and Fran had decided to follow. Fran hadn't trusted Inventor-chan's sister to make lunch. The older girl had nearly burnt down the kitchen last time she had tried to cook, so Fran thought following Shoichi meant a better chance of getting edible food. And since Fran had followed Shoichi, Byakuran didn't have anyone to distract Shoichi's sister, Ran, from trying to get the albino to be her boyfriend. So Byakuran had decided to come with them to visit Tsunayoshi for lunch.

Most of the lunch had been annoying. Shoichi had tried to talk to a silver-haired teen that had to be Gokudera. If the silver haired teen was the genius, he didn't look anything like one. He looked like a delinquent. Maybe he would have been more approachable if he wasn't glaring at Byakuran so hard. Shoichi couldn't get one word out of the supposed silver haired genius. The other male teen, a black haired one, had grinned widely at them the whole time, but the sword that lay on the black haired teen's side stayed threateningly close to the unidentified teen (though if Fran had to guess, he would have to be the Yamamoto Takeshi that Shoichi sometimes mentioned) the entire time. The girl hadn't been welcoming either. She didn't glare at Fran and Byakuran, but she didn't say anything to them. Or Shoichi. She appeared to be mad at the inventor. And then there was the strange teen that seemed to be glaring at them from the top of the roof's entrance. Fran had been to more comfortable places while shadowing Byakuran to meetings with hostile companies. Not many liked the Gesso Corporation's sudden rise to power. But those people were much friendlier than Shoichi's "friends." Except for Tsunayoshi. The small brunette had spoken to all of them, even Byakuran despite the albino's constant teasing and cryptic comments. Tsunayoshi had given Fran a bento, claiming it was the one he had promised to give Fran. Tsuna had promised, but Fran hadn't thought he'd actually do it. Fran had decided then that Tsunayoshi was worth getting to know, and perhaps he was worth getting into trouble for too.

So when the small brunette came in from another door that most likely led to the kitchen, Fran kept a close eye on him to see what Tsuna would do. Tsuna's brown eyes landed on Shoichi for a moment before quickly shifting to Byakuran. They made an expression that Fran hadn't thought they could. Those eyes glared dangerously.

"I told you to keep Irie-kun away from here," said Tsunayoshi.

"And I said I would give you a chance to save your brother," answered Byakuran. He waved a lazy hand towards Shoichi. "Here's your chance."

"No," said Tsunayoshi. The kind brown eyes that had lit up when the small brunette smiled at everyone took on a hard, fiery orange tint. "Take him home."

"Such a strong sky," said Byakuran. "You need someone to stand against you."

"Shoichi does not need to be involved in this," continued Tsunayoshi.

"Without him, your chances of rescuing your brother are pitiful."

"We are doing fine without him," said Tsunayoshi, and Fran marveled at the change in Tsunayoshi. Fran barely remembered anything from before Byakuran, but more than likely, Fran hadn't seen anyone change so much from one minute to the next. Tsunayoshi now looked like someone who could stand up and defeat Byakuran.

"But Sempai's right. Inventor-chan is really good at Choice." The orange gaze pinned Fran, and Fran realized the words had been spoken out loud. Inwardly shrugging, Fran decided to continue. "And I don't think that Inventor-chan will leave."

Shoichi jumped a little at Fran's reference and the orange gaze that now had landed on the redhead inventor. His face gained a light green shade, and the papers were shoved more into his stomach.

"Fran…Fran's right," said Shoichi, making small erratic movements. "I…I want to help."

The orange gaze softened, but it remained firm.

"Go home, Irie-kun. I don't want you to get hurt."

Suddenly, Shoichi straightened and fully faced the orange gaze. This was interesting. Shoichi had never done that before.

"I can't," said the redhead inventor. The green eyes glittered with determination. "You could have gotten hurt, but you wouldn't let them get the Box or me. I want to do my best to get your brother back."

"Even if it endangers your whole family?" asked Tsuna. The question seemed to hit Shoichi as the redhead leaned and took a step back.

"M-my whole family?" Shoichi mumbled. Fran frowned. The inventor had been so interesting until that point. Shoichi went back to hugging papers against his stomach, and the green shade recolored his face. The frog-hatted teen considered leaving to see if the inventor would follow Fran out. Maybe they could avoid an emotional scene that Byakuran could later use for blackmail. "Will you protect them?"

Fran turned automatically to Tsunayoshi whose orange fiery eyes had widened and perhaps faded back to brown for a second. A movement came from his shoulder, and a small figure Fran hadn't noticed placed a hand on Tsunayoshi's brown hair, making the not quite orange eyes land on the previously unseen figure. Fran would have to make sure to steer clear of any later discussion about the tiny figure. Byakuran insisted that nothing was to go unobserved, and he wouldn't be happy to hear that Fran hadn't noticed the tiny figure, or rather the small martial artist. Had Shoichi mentioned a martial artist associated with Tsunayoshi in the emails? Fran would check later, because the eyes had flashed full orange again, and Fran didn't want to miss what followed.

"I can't promise that," said Tsunayoshi. "I don't know how I would."

"But if there was a way," said Shoichi, straightening again, but he squeezed the papers harder against his stomach. "If I told you of a way, would you do it?"

"Yes," said Tsunayoshi, his eyes glowing orange. "If you helped me or not."

"Then let me find a way for you to do it," said Shoichi, the green shade darkening even as his green eyes glittered brighter. "And a way to save your brother."

* * *

><p>The sea became land, and Reborn prepared for the landing that would occur in 3 hours (should the pilot prefer to continue breathing). He had promised to be back in 34 hours, so that gave him about 2 hours to get to Vongola headquarters and discuss the situation and return. He would not be longer than those two hours back and forth from headquarters. Japan was well into the night, and who knew what Dame Tsuna was doing. His self-chosen student was stupid enough to try to take on the Vindice himself to get the brat back. Reborn was not going to lose two students.<p>

"How much time to Trento?" asked Reborn the pilot, choosing to use the intercom this time. The last time Reborn had gone to the cockpit, the copilot had fainted, and the pilot had barely remained conscious.

"3 hours and sixteen minutes and 35 seconds," said a shaky voice.

"I though you said it would be 3 hours by this point," said Reborn darkly.

"R-right. M-my mistake. We h-have 3 hours until arrival," said the pilot as the light from the intercom switched off completely. So the pilot was brave. Then again, the Ninth wouldn't have sent a coward to escort the world's number one hitman.

"Wow, so you're the famous Reborn?" said a voice behind Reborn. A bullet instantly honed in on the sound, but all it did was crack the wall with its force. "You are really strong."

"Show yourself," said Reborn, intending to distract his opponent. No one would appear at such a childish command.

"Okay!" said an overly cheerful voice. A slim young man with checker gloves, tie, and shoes stood in front of Reborn. The hitman sent another bullet at the young man, but the annoying pest leaned far enough left to avoid it and it barely brushed the black slicked back hair. "Checkerface-sama said you like to shoot things. Hehehe."

"What are you doing here?" asked the hitman, toying with the idea of shooting the man whether it would hit the man or not. But the hitman didn't want to ruin his record by continually missing.

"Checkerface-sama sent me," the young checkered man chuckled.

"Checkerface," said Reborn flatly. The hitman had an idea of who "Checkerface" was, but he had long learned not to jump to conclusions.

"Oh, right. You wouldn't call him that," said the checkered man, underlining laughter in his words. The pest hadn't stopped smiling. "He's the Man in the Iron Hat to you, right?"

"Leave," said Reborn, no longer toying with the idea of shooting. He would shoot as many bullets as needed to rid the plane of this pest.

"I'm Yonomichi, Checkerface-sama's assistant," said the checkered man, taking of his hat and making a small bow. Another checkered pattern decorated the top of the hat. "Yonomichi. Nice to meet you, hohoho."

Another bullet grazed the checkered-top hat and didn't hit the chuckling idiot.

"Leave or I won't miss," said Reborn, his gun cocked and readied.

"You would have shot me if I hadn't moved the last three times," said the checkered man, the grin and laughter still in his words. "Besides I can't leave until I deliver Checkerface-sama's message."

"Then deliver it," said the hitman. He was tired of wasting bullets.

"He said…what was it that he said…oh, I have it here somewhere," said the checkered assistant. The man rolled back his grey suit jacket sleeve. Scribbles covered his wrist and lower arm. "There it is! He wants you to tell your new student to heal what's injured. And he said that rescues from that prison should happen during in the middle of the day. There was something else…" More sleeve was rolled up, and more scribble became visible. "I almost forgot. Checkface-sama's gift!"

The checkered man pulled out a small, glinting object from his breast pocket. He tossed it at Reborn who didn't spare it a glance and let it fall on the ground in front of him. The hitman wasn't taking his eyes off his target.

"Checkerface-sama said that your student should have it since he already has the other four or was it five?" said the checkered man. He looked at his scribbled arm and smiling again in full force. "Yep. Checkerface-sama definitely said that."

"Why?" the hitman demanded. The ridiculous smile didn't falter.

"Checkerface-sama's bored, and he finds your student interesting," said the checkered man. Reborn's grip around the gun shifted, but the hitman didn't shoot.

"Take it," said Reborn, a dark restraint in his voice. "He doesn't need it."

"I wouldn't do that," said the checkered man. He chuckled a little nervously. "Checkerface-sama wants to see how much your student grows, and I think he'll take care of anyone who gets in the way. And it sounds like you and the other's time is waning. Not a good time to get on his bad side."

"My student is not his concern," said the hitman.

"You're not very smart," said the checkered man. He rested his chin on his hand, and the smile tightened and resembled a smirk. "It will help your student. Besides, who will help your student if both his teachers disappeared?"

Reborn neither stilled nor shook outwardly. He had trained for too long to show his reactions so easily. The smile widened though it remained tight.

"I must be going then. Good luck keeping your student alive, hehehe," said the checker man, bowing once more before disappearing into thin air. Reborn waited several minutes, keeping the gun pointed to the spot where the checkered man had disappeared. After he was certain that the pest was gone, the hitman bent down to pick up the glinting "gift." He snorted. His student would appreciate this, but the hitman was not going to give it to Dame Tsuna. Not unless there was no other choice. The Man in the Iron Hat was not to be trusted, and Reborn would not risk his student's life needlessly.

* * *

><p>Tsuna had fallen asleep. He had dropped his head onto the paper marked with their twenty third plan and gone out like a light. Fon stood over the small brunette, cradling the also asleep monkey. Takeshi grinned at the sight of the small brunette resting on the table, glad the wish worked. Thankfully, his grandad's emblem worked differently than his dad's. Making copies wouldn't help Tsuna rest. Quietly and carelessly so the others wouldn't notice, Takeshi tucked the rectangular emblem into his dad's hand.<p>

"I'll get him upstairs," whispered his old man. Dark hazel eyes locked onto Takeshi. "You need to return to bed as well."

"Okay," said Takeshi, as he rubbed the back of his head. He started to stand and stumbled a bit. Wishing was hard work. Gokudera grabbed Takeshi's arm to steady the young swordsman. "Thanks, Gokudera."

"I didn't do it for you. You were going to fall on Tsuna-sama," grumbled the silver haired teen. Takeshi grinned wider because Tsuna was already in Takeshi's dad's arms. Strange how a strong guy like Tsuna was light enough for Takeshi's old man to pick up the small brunette without struggling. The image of a small brunette wrapped in chains and disappearing into a white, colorless cloud curled Takeshi's fingers into fists.

"Look at me," said a female voice. Hana stood in front of him, forcing his gaze onto her. "You better keep an eye on him. It's your turn to watch him."

"Of course," said Gokudera. "I would never leave Tsu—"

"Not you," said Hana. "You're coming with me to escort Irie-kun home. Lancia is staying to keep an eye on Tsuna's mother, so you're not needed here."

"I can take Irie-kun home," said the dangerous albino. Takeshi was starting to not like white hair. Maybe it was a sign of bad things? First that other albino had kidnapped and hurt Tsuna's brother, and then this one had come and threatened Tsuna. Takeshi wasn't sure he could trust the white haired man from earlier either. He wouldn't let any of them hurt Tsuna.

"I wouldn't trust you with the moronic monkey king," snapped Hana. She glared at Irie who was picking up the paper plans up in a pile. "On the way to your house, we are going to discuss how one goes about choosing friends."

"Does that mean I stay here and keep an eye on the restaurant?" asked the other teen with the cool hat. Hana glared at him too, and Takeshi wondered if he would be brave enough later to tell the tall girl that he didn't think this Fran was a bad guy, even if he ate a lot. Most of the sushi Dad had made them to give them energy had gone into Fran's mouth, but Takeshi didn't mind. Fran looked very hungry, and if he hadn't eaten, then Dad's sushi might have gone to waste. No one else felt like eating anything.

"From what I've seen, you'd eat all of Yamamoto-sama's sushi instead of help him sell it," said Hana. She grabbed the hungry teen's arm and started dragging Fran out the door. "You are coming with us."

"I'll make sure he gets up the stairs," said Lancia. Gokudera huffed and let Lancia grab Takeshi's arm before heading straight for the door.

"Wait," Irie-kun said. He hurried after Gokudera. The silver haired teen slowed to let the redhead catch up. "What do you think about the seventh box?"

"The design is solid," said Gokudera, and Takeshi knew he wouldn't understand a word of what came next. "But the flaw lays in the conductivity of the alloy. The output decreased instead of increased. The input necessary would increase every activation."

"Yes, but by decreasing the output, the Box increases solidity of the object every activation and deactivation which would help stabilize the flames into a more productive form," Irie said. Yep, Takeshi didn't understand anything. Something about the Boxes and Flames. The Flames were probably referring to the fire that lit up every time they opened the Box. It was the same fire that appeared when Takeshi made a wish, though the colors were different.

"Do you know what they were talking about?" asked Takeshi as the two left. Lancia shook his head. "It sounds important."

"It probably is," said the man. "We need to get you upstairs."

"I'm sorry," said Takeshi, rubbing the back of his head again. "But I think I can't move."

"You're still exhausted from the fight you had with Tsunayoshi," said Lancia.

"Yeah," said Takeshi. He liked Lancia, but Takeshi still didn't know the man that well. Lancia usually hung out with Tsuna at Tsuna's house or watched Tsuna's mom and Fuuta while Tsuna went to school. But Lancia would give his life to save Tsuna, so Takeshi knew he could trust the man.

With an amused smile, the man lowered himself and placed Takeshi's arm around his shoulders to help steady Takeshi. Leaning heavily on Lancia, Takeshi took a step towards the stairs where his old man had carried Tsuna up as Fon took a ride on the old man's shoulder. Takeshi wondered how tired the small brunette really was. Tsuna was still recovering from the medicine the doctor had given him. The small brunette hadn't had a chance to recover from the fight with Takeshi, because Tsuna had needed to fight Hibari and then rescue Tamaki. And now they had to rescue Tamaki again. The hard part would be convincing Tsuna to rest. Tsuna couldn't save Tamaki if the small brunette collapsed from exhaustion. But Tsuna could be very stubborn, so Takeshi wasn't certain how they could keep Tsuna in bed long enough to recover completely. Before Takeshi could come up with a solution other than to keep using his wishes, they got to the door to his room.

"Thanks for your help, Lancia-san," said Takeshi, pulling his arm off Lancia's shoulder. The young swordsman would have stumbled into his room and fall onto his futon, but Takeshi got a good look at Lancia's face. The hand that had almost left the man's shoulders grabbed them and pushed down to get the man's attention. Lancia looked at Takeshi, and Takeshi grinned at the man. Lancia didn't smile like he had earlier, so Takeshi let his grin fall. Takeshi didn't know what was bothering Lancia, since the man wasn't as easy to read as Tsuna. But Lancia cared for Tsuna too, so maybe… "What happened when Tamaki was kidnapped?"

The man became rigid as if he had a baseball headed straight for him. Hopefully the man would remember to catch.

"Tsuna didn't ask, but I think he wants to know," said Takeshi, pushing for the man to catch. Tsuna probably did want to know, but Lancia needed to say what happened more.

"He's sleeping," said Lancia.

"That's alright," said Takeshi, grinning again. "I'll tell him when he wakes up."


	37. Reports and Information

Chapter 37: _Reports and Information_

He had been forgotten. Of course, he had spent years practicing the art of remaining invisible, and those years would have been a waste if they had continued to include him, to make notice of him, to see him. Even little Tsuna couldn't do that. Though he might be able to one day, if Byakuran-kun's "possibilities" held any weight. For the good of Tsuna and his friends, the man should have left, but he hadn't. The man called Lancia hadn't played a large part in the other possibilities, but the young man was important to Tsuna here. Lancia himself didn't worry Kawahira, but the older Mafioso had a distinct air about him. An almost smell that Kawahira had long associated with indigo flames. Mugetsu had felt static through his fur when the elongated fur had brushed past the younger man's hand. Lancia undoubtedly would use green flames. So the indigo were from another source.

Still invisible, Kawahira had slipped past the younger man and younger Yamamoto. The two were too busy discussing what happened in the Sawada house again to notice the slight and unnatural breeze passing by. The man decided to mention to one of Tsuna's teachers that the truly young ones needed instructions on how to spot illusions as he entered the room. The elder Yamamoto lay Tsuna on a futon with fatherly gentleness. Such actions, as observed and transmitted by Mugetsu, had convinced Kawahira to trust the man with Namimori's most precious treasure. Otherwise, several unexplained accidents would have put Takesushi out of business and cause the retired Mafioso and his son to take up residence elsewhere. An unlikable solution, since the son would have been removed with the father, but Tsuna did not need another substandard father figure. Thankfully, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi had not made such measures necessary. After putting the boy comfortably into the futon, the elder Yamamoto brushed the boy's bangs back.

"Tsuna," the man said in a sigh. "You are very frustrating child. Takeshi never gave me this much trouble, but I can imagine Mako telling me that each child is different. She would have loved you. And she would have probably hit you for your foolishness by now." The man's lips curved into a shadowed smile. His fingers combing through the pushed back bangs. A blue light shone and fell from the man's hand. "But she would hit me harder if I let you push yourself any harder."

"I didn't know that there were more," said Kawahira, alerting the other to his presence. "I thought Tsuna only had the one I gave him."

"You," said the elder Yamamoto darkly. "I thought you left."

"Not yet. I have a couple of reasons to stay, the main one lying on the futon over there."

"What do you want with Tsuna?" asked the former Mafioso, placing himself between Kawahira and Tsuna. Good. That boy needed all protection and caution that they could provide.

"What we all want," said Kawahira. "For Tsuna to remain as safe as possible. It's what I have been trying to achieve for more than six years."

"Trying?" asked the elder Yamamoto, and Kawahira was glad the shadow hid the frown that crossed the illusionist's features.

"Bullies are a difficult problem to deal with," answered Kawahira. "Especially when the child is going out of his way to attract them."

"For his brother's sake," the elder Yamamoto said, his tone darkening. Tamaki did have that effect on people.

"Always. And now he will risk the Vindice's eternal wrath to save him."

"He loves strongly," said the elder Yamamoto, looking back at the source and center of all their problems. "Maybe too strongly."

"Is love ever too strong?" asked Kawahira. The door to the room banged open.

"Yamamoto-san," Lancia said in a strained voice. "I…I must leave."

"Leave?" asked the elder Yamamoto.

"Lancia-san, you should wait for Tsuna to get up," said the younger Yamamoto as he stepped out from behind the older Mafioso. "He'll worry if you're not here when he wa—"

"I've put him in too much danger," said the young man, bowing quickly and lowly.

"You haven't finished your story," said the younger Yamamoto, wobbling into Lancia's way. That stubbornness proved the boy was Tsuna's friend. Stubbornness attracted stubbornness.

"You need to let me go," said Lancia. "I will return to Italy and do what I can from there."

"Why do you have to go so far?" asked the older Yamamoto.

"He had dealings with a rogue illusionist," said Kawahira, catching the other two's attention. The elder Yamamoto hadn't let Kawahira fall back into obscurity in the former swordsman's sight. "And there are still unwanted ties."

"I felt him," said the young man. His voice didn't quite quiver, but Kawahira heard the panic in it. "He hasn't broken the connection. He's been…he's been using it to spy. To watch Tsuna and wait for the right moment. I didn't notice. I should have, but I didn't think he would be able to maintain his hold from so far. I thought…I wanted to think I was free from him."

"Free from who?" asked the elder Yamamoto, his dark hazel eyes boring into the older Mafioso.

"The one who Tsuna fought a while ago," said Kawahira, certain it would be impossible to return to obscurity with these three after his next words. "Rokudo Mukuro. But I think I can help with that."

* * *

><p>It was dark. Tsuna had never been afraid of the dark because he had to be brave for Tamaki, but he didn't like this dark. It didn't have any light at all. All darkness had a little light, even when Tsuna couldn't see it right away. But this one didn't have one shade of darkness less dark than the rest. And it was cold. Very cold. Especially on his wrists and around his ankles. A whimper echoed in the cold dark, and Tsuna realized the dark was silent, too quiet, as if sound couldn't or shouldn't break through.<p>

"You should not have tried to deceive us," said a voice harshly breaking through the silence. Tsuna jerked and tried to back away from the source of the sound, but something, chains, clanged loudly and pulled on his wrists and ankles. "Your brother will have to pay the price."

"But I didn't do it," protested a voice. It was coming from Tsuna's mouth, but the words weren't Tsuna's. But Tsuna knew those words, that voice. They were Tamaki's. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about! Let me go!"

"So now you do not know," said the first voice coldly. "You do not know of the lies you fed us, _Vongola Decimo_."

"But I am the Vongola Decimo!" cried Tamaki, desperation straining his throat as pulled further back.

"They wouldn't have taken you if they didn't have plenty of proof otherwise," said a new voice, one that had a terribly familiar ring to it. "Proof I graciously provided them."

"Silence, Prisoner Rokudo," said the first voice. "We have simply brought you here for verification. Is this the correct one?"

A red and indigo glow nearly blinded Tsuna, and a dark kanji number seared into Tsuna's mind as the glow faded and enveloped it. A straight sideways line stamped a mocking 1 in his closed eyelids.

"Yes," the second voice hissed, and Tsuna's mind struggled against recognizing it. "This one is the imposter."

"Remember, Rokudo. No one lies to the Vindice. Your companions' lives are at stake," said the first voice.

"You can do as you like with my toys," said the second voice. "But part of our deal is that you cannot bring them back. You wouldn't want it to be spread around that you no longer honor your deals."

"The deal stands only if this is truly the imposter," said the first voice.

"Does it really matter," the second said amused. Tsuna could almost see a vicious smirk under the glowing eye. "The imposter will pay for his crime whether this is him or not."

"For your toys' freedom, it does matter."

"Then perhaps it would be best to give me more time with him, to see if I can discover if you collected the correct twin," said the second voice.

"There wasn't another one," said a third voice, offended. "The true Vongola Decimo must have gone to Italy for his training."

"Then why did you call me in?"

"Because he hasn't stopped insisting that he isn't the imposter," said the newest voice, "and there are procedures to follow."

"Like a fair trial," said the second voice with a terribly recognizable amusement. "Like what you gave Lancia-sempai."

"Do not play with me, Rokudo Mukuro," the first voice warned. "Is this the correct one or not?"

"It's me," whispered Tamaki's voice from Tsuna's mouth. The other two voice's attention fell heavily onto Tsuna. Tamaki's voice continued at a volume that even Tsuna's ears had to strain to pick up. "I'm the one you want. I'm the imposter."

"Really?" said the second voice, the amusement freezing Tsuna and forcing him to see the outline of strangely spiked purple hair and a green uniform. "Then that solves your problem. He confessed."

"He did," said the first. "And now it's time to decide his punishment."

A silent scream poured out from Tsuna's soul as the scene sank back into complete blackness.

* * *

><p>"The jet is landing, sir," said Marco, as he stood from his bow and let go of the Ninth's hand. The Ninth nodded, and stood from his seat.<p>

"I will receive him in my office," said the Ninth, dismissing the servant as he moved out of the Vongola audience hall and back to the Vongola boss's office. The Ninth had never liked meeting his friends in the so-nicknamed "throne room," even though all important audiences (and all were important to the old man) were to take place there. But the day's audiences were done except for the one with Reborn, and the Ninth doubted anyone would fault him holding that audience in his office, especially since he always met the hitman in the smaller room. If the Ninth had another reason for Reborn's audience to be held in his office, then no one would have a reason to suspect it.

Entering his office, the Ninth felt a weary smile press his lips. The office was exactly the way he had left it, except for a few papers that had fallen to the floor. Most would account the fallen papers to the open window, but the air that was entering in wasn't strong enough to reach that particular stack.

"Iemistu, I hope I haven't called you away from anything important," said the Ninth, calmly sitting in the comfortable chair behind the desk.

"It wasn't as important as a summons from the Vongola Nono," said Iemitsu as he appeared from behind the shadow of the bookcase. The man pouted playfully, before falling to one knee and kissing the Ninth's hand. "How did you know I was here?"

"The Machiani papers," said the Ninth with a more amused smile. However skilled the Young Lion of Vongola became, stealth would probably always continue to be a problem. When Iemitsu had entered his teenage years, he had taken to entering the Vongola Boss office whenever he wanted, which had gotten Iemitsu in various problems with his guardian, Dante. The former CEDEF leader had despaired over Iemitsu's disrespectful curiosity no matter how many times Timoteo had told the much older man that he didn't mind Iemitsu coming into the Vongola boss office unsupervised. Iemitsu would never do anything to harm Vongola. Dante had only relented when Timoteo had passed the constant intrusions as training exercises. Iemitsu was to try to enter the office without leaving any evidence that he had been there. If Timoteo caught the blonde, then Iemitsu would be given a boring chore like paperwork, and if Iemistu managed to go in and out without being caught, then Dante would give the teen whatever mission Iemitsu wished. Needless to say, Iemitsu got stuck with many chores and piles of paperwork and never had a chance to choose even one mission. Timoteo was well known for being the most observant boss since Terzo, and Iemitsu didn't understand subtlety.

"I forgot about those," said the younger man and grinned in that cavalier "oh-well" way. "Lal would have killed me."

"That's why she refuses to let you take on any undercover missions," said Timoteo as he carefully cleared his desk.

"Nah, she just doesn't like that my cover stories are more creative than hers," said Iemitsu, with the same wide grin. Timoteo shook his head slightly, since the younger man's cover stories usually were absolutely unbelievable. The first time Dante had sent the blonde man, then a teen, on an undercover mission, the grey haired CEDEF leader had had to bail Iemitsu out because the other famiglia had not believed Iemitsu's story that he was an out-of-work animal trainer who had grown allergic to monkey fur. "Creative" had not been the word that Dante had used to describe said cover story.

"Iemitsu, you know why I have called you here," said Timoteo. The old man wanted to prolong the easy atmosphere, but the continued grin on Iemitu's face was starting to strain, so the Nono had slipped back into business mode.

"Reborn had an urgent report concerning the Vongola successor that had information too sensitive to trust on paper," said Iemitsu as the grin dropped and his face adopted a more serious expression. The seriousness didn't last long as it split back into a grin. "Apparently Tamaki has been getting into some trouble. He finished the Mukuro situation fine, so maybe Reborn wants to bring him here to Italy."

Timoteo didn't bother correcting the man. If Reborn had wanted to bring Tamaki to Italy, a written report would have sufficed. Whatever drove the hitman to fly all the way to Italy probably dealt with both twins, not just Tamaki. Timoteo had not met the twins and barely knew anything about the older one. Iemitsu had always gone on and on about his wife and younger twin with very few words about the young Tsunayoshi except to say the older twin was a lot like Nana. Given the blonde man's tendency to talk the nearest person's ear off about his family, Iemitsu's reluctance when it came to his oldest seemed strange, but Timoteo had never questioned the younger man, not wanting to intrude on the young CEDEF leader's private life.

However when choosing the next Vongola boss candidate, Timoteo had broken his unspoken promise not to pry into Iemitsu's family in the interest of making the right choice. The investigations had been discreet, as they had to be lest Iemitsu discover them. They had revealed why Iemitsu never spoke about the young Tsunayoshi. The boy was nothing to brag about, not like Tamaki who had an impressive soccer record and moderate popularity at his school. While favoritism shouldn't be something parents show, Timoteo didn't fault Iemitsu. The old man couldn't. He remembered his mistakes with Federico and Xanxus, and he was in no place to judge.

"So when does he arrive?" asked Iemitsu.

"He already has," said a small, familiar voice. "And if you don't want a bullet lodged in your brain, I suggest you stay quiet until I finish explaining."

The Ninth Vongola boss, fairly undisputed ruler of the underworld, kept his mouth closed, because he was not sure if those words were directed at him or the CEDEF leader and the look on the hitman's face didn't suggest Timoteo risk finding out.

* * *

><p>When Master hadn't returned to their room during the night, I-pin had grown worried. Master always slept on the corner chair curled up and watching over I-pin and Lambo. Master wasn't there when they went to bed, but he was always there when they woke up. But yesterday had been so strange. 哥哥' had come, but he hadn't said hello to Lambo or I-pin. He had gone to talk to Yamamoto-san and had never come out. <em>Mamma<em> had come too, and after seeing 哥哥', she had made Lambo and I-pin treats. I-pin had wanted to ask _Mamma_ what was wrong with master and 哥哥' or for help finding Fuuta who was still hiding, but I-pin didn't think _Mamma_ could answer questions or give any help. So I-pin had decided to help _Mamma_ as much as I-pin could. Now _Mamma_ was sleeping in I-pin's futon, and I-pin was sleeping in Lambo's.

"I-pin tha's my candy," Lambo muttered in his sleep and nearly grabbed I-pin's hand, but I-pin pulled it back with the speed she had learned sparring with 哥哥'. I-pin decided to go look for 哥哥', because where 哥哥', Master would be. 哥哥' was Master's student too. I-pin hopped out of the futon and quietly snuck out of the door. She didn't want to wake _Mamma_ and Lambo up. Lambo would make a loud noise and want to go see 哥哥' too. And Mamma needed to sleep. She had looked very sad last night.

As quietly as she could, I-pin entered Takeshi's room. Takeshi didn't mind I-pin in his room. He didn't even mind Lambo in his room, though Lambo would normally break or lose something when Lambo came in. After Lambo nearly broke Takeshi's favorite bat, Yamamoto-san had said that Lambo couldn't go into Takeshi's room anymore. But Yamamoto-san hadn't said anything about I-pin.

Takeshi was sleeping close to the door, and if he had been awake, I-pin thinks he would have made a good guard. But he was asleep. He didn't look like he was having a good sleep, because he was frowning, and Takeshi never frowned. She hurried a little faster to the other futon. 哥哥' was asleep too, but he looked worse than Takeshi. When 哥哥' slept in Takesushi, 哥哥' slept with a smile on his face, and 哥哥' never minded being woken up if I-pin or Lambo had a nightmare. But now 哥哥' looked like he was having a nightmare. I-pin shook 哥哥' hard.

"He won't wake up," said Master's voice. I-pin looked up to see Master sitting on Takeshi's desk and watching over the two. "Tsuyoshi and Takeshi made certain he wouldn't wake for a few more hours. And he needs to rest, nightmares or not."

"_But nightmares are bad!"_ cried I-pin in Chinese, too upset to try speaking in Japanese. 哥哥' needed to wake up. I-pin didn't like being stuck in her nightmares, and 哥哥' shouldn't be in one.

"_They are_," said Fon in Chinese. _"But your __哥哥__' needs his rest."_

I-pin looked a pleadingly at Master, but the dark eyes remained firm. But they also seemed tired and sad. Master didn't look like he could sleep. 哥哥' groaned, and I-pin bit her lip. She didn't like seeing 哥哥' upset. But she couldn't wake him up.

"_I-pin, you should go back,"_ said Master gently. _"Tsuyoshi and Nana need rest too, and they'll worry if they can't find you."_

"_I-pin's not sleepy,"_ she said, trying not to sound like Lambo did. No one seemed to mind that Fuuta was still hiding.

"_Go back to bed,"_ said Master.

"_No."_ I-pin covered her mouth immediately, but the word had already come out of her mouth. She had never gone against Master. But…but it was 哥哥'. It was 哥哥' who was hurt and maybe scared (哥哥' had admitted he got scared). I-pin couldn't leave 哥哥' when he was like that.

"_No?"_ said Master with an almost smile. _"So what do you think you should do?"_

I-pin didn't know. What could she do? 哥哥' wouldn't wake up, so he was stuck in the nightmare. Then…then I-pin had to chase away the nightmare, like 哥哥' did for Lambo and I-pin. She put her hand on 哥哥''s head.

"I-pin here," she said in Japanese. "哥哥' not alone."

哥哥''s face didn't stop frowning, but 哥哥' stopped moving. Carefully, I-pin lay down and gave 哥哥' a hug. The upset frown went away, and I-pin smiled as 哥哥' wrapped an arm protectively around I-pin. She snuggled against 哥哥''s side and decided to stay here so that 哥哥''s nightmare wouldn't come back. She closed her eyes and listened to hear 哥哥' breathing calmly like Master had taught them. Soon she was breathing just like him and dreaming of sparring with a smiling 哥哥'.

* * *

><p>First thing that Iemitsu noticed was that the gun that Reborn held pointed directly to the CEDEF leader. Apparently, Iemitsu had done something to tick the hitman off. Or perhaps Tamaki had proved to be quite the handful. Iemitsu and Nana's youngest could be, especially when he was forced to do things he didn't want to. But most boys were like that. There was no reason to be so aggressive. Enrique had been several times worse.<p>

"The Vongola Decimo candidate, Sawada Tamaki, has been taken by the Vinidice and imprisoned."

Both Iemitsu and Timoteo started to open their mouths, but the recognizable click of a gun's safety shut both mouths quickly.

"They came at 4:34 PM Japan Standard Time and collected him due to a deal that was made under false pretenses. Their true target was not Sawada Tamaki, but Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Tuna-fish?" Iemitsu asked. A bullet grazed his cheek.

"The reason for this is because Tsunayoshi was the one who made a deal with them while impersonating the most likely Vongola Decimo candidate for the temporary custody of Draghi Lancia, who Tsunayoshi considered innocent of all his crimes since they were done under the direct and possessive influence of Rokudo Mukuro." The hitman paused, as if daring the two men to say something, but Iemitsu's mind was too busy trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his little precious Tuna-fish had stood up and lied to the world's worst organization. "This transaction was done after Tsunayoshi had finished defeating and subduing Rokudo Mukuro in a 3 on 1 fight in the Rokudo's favor. It was after this incident that my reports began to hold false information, since I decided that the true potential to become Vongola Decimo lay on the older and not the younger twin."

"That's not something for you to decide, and Tamaki's obviously the better choice sin—" Iemitsu began, a hardness in his tone, but another bullet cut across his cheek and silenced him. Iemitsu decided for the sake of _famiglia_ unity not to continue his argument and let the hitman finish. Then the CEDEF leader would make the truth clear. Iemitsu could see that the Ninth was not pleased with the fact that the reports the older man had been receiving were falsified.

"Since reports bearing the truth would have been met with skepticism and argument due to deals and promises made under false pretenses," continued Reborn as if Iemitsu's interruption hadn't occurred, "I sent the edited reports you received to stall until I had enough time to present you with the undisputable facts of the situation. But the Vindice appeared and took Sawada Tamaki before I had finished my second set of reports. Now that you have been informed of the situation, I intend to return to Japan and keep my student from doing something stupid like attempting to rescue his brother without aid."

"Your student?" asked the Ninth lightly, but Iemitsu knew that the question held a barely restrained anger behind the question.

"I couldn't leave the future Vongola Decimo to be trained solely by a martial artist."

"A martial artist?"

"Fon."

"The storm arcobaleno has been training the boy?" asked the Ninth, a little wonder entering the man's tone. Iemitsu shifted, preparing to attack. World's greatest hitman or not, no one put Iemitsu's family in danger.

"Apparently the father of one of Dame Tsuna's friends contacted him to train the boy while he trained his own son," said Reborn. A smirk formed under his fedora as black eyes bored into Iemitsu. "Akai Shigure wants a meeting with you when you return to Japan."

"Akai Shigure? The assassin swordsman that had ties to the Estraneo _famiglia_?" said the Ninth as Iemitsu's blood grew cold. Why was such a coldblooded man near Iemitsu's sons? Fists tightened and Iemitsu fought to keep from demanding answers from the hitman. "Tsunayoshi has made some powerful allies."

"He has a knack for that," said Reborn. He bowed to the Ninth, but the old man shook his head.

"I cannot let you leave just yet, old friend. Decisions need to be made concerning the rescue of the original Vongola Decimo candidate."

"Leave those decisions in Dame-Tsuna's hands," said the hitman. A snort preceded his next words. "It's not like he'll trust anyone else to save his precious little brother."

"I cannot do that unless I know into whose hands I have left such an important task," said the Ninth as he leaned forward. "Now is as good a time as any to learn more about this new possible Vongola Decimo candidate."

"Nono, we had an agreement," said Iemitsu, his voice strained to keep from taking on an insolent tone like the hitman's. "Only one of my sons was to be involved in the world of the mafia."

"That is our agreement," said the Ninth, his chin settling onto his interlocked hands. Iemitsu knew that position. The Ninth wanted answers, and he would not budge until those answers were given. "But I would like to hear Reborn's _honest_ assessment."


	38. Noticing the Overlooked

Chapter 38: _Noticing the Overlooked_

The Ninth didn't say a word as the hitman finished. Reborn did not fidget despite the silence and the hazel brown eyes' hard, piercing gaze. Timoteo was known for his calm, almost blank gaze. Those who had not experienced it scoffed that no one could be intimidated by an old man's glazed-over gawking. The old man probably had fallen asleep with his eyes open and hadn't heard a word the person in front of him had said. But the Ninth did hear. Timoteo listened and logged every word that every man or woman spoke in his presence, analyzing it for what was true, what was false, what was embellished, and what was left out. Some had gotten away with lying to the man on paper for months thanks to all the paperwork that passed through his office, but lies to his face rarely lasted a day. As soon as the meeting was over, the Ninth would have cross referenced and verified the information five different ways. By the end of the day, the information would have been run through about fifteen different processes. And the Ninth did all this without allowing a pile of paperwork over twenty sheets to occupy his desk. There was a reason the Ninth was the Vongola boss who had lasted the longest, and those underestimated the "old man" usually didn't live long enough to regret it.

"So Tsunayoshi is stronger than Tamaki," said the Ninth calmly. Reborn did not move a muscle. The hitman couldn't afford to show weakness. Old friend or not, he had crossed a line with the bland, false reports he had sent in the last week. The issue of the next Vongola boss was too sensitive and important to Timoteo. Four of his sons had been sacrificed for the future of Vongola, and Timoteo did not want to sacrifice anyone else. Reborn had not wanted to go against the Ninth on this issue, but the brat would have brought chaos to the Vongola and probably the whole mafia world whereas Dame Tsuna had potential to continue the Ninth's work and return the Vongola to its original state. If the Vindice had not taken the brat, Reborn's well-laid plans would have proved that potential (or lack thereof in Tamaki's case) without the tedious question and answer session. Unfortunately, recent events had led to this change of plans. "And due to a gift from our Signore Kawahira, the Vindice were not able to sense Tsunayoshi, prompting them to take Tamaki instead."

Reborn nodded. Words would only serve to worsen the situation at this point. The hitman subtly glanced out the window. The sun had passed the 3 o'clock position. He had half an hour more until the plane needed to take off. Of course, the plane would go nowhere without the hitman, but for the 34 hour deadline, the hitman had to be in the air in 25-30 minutes. They would lose time crossing the time lines, and a certain moronic student of his could get into any kind of trouble. Dame-Tsuna attracted trouble like honey attracted bees, and in this case, unless he was sat upon, he probably would go seek it out. The boy was not ready to take on the Vindice, and hopefully the martial artist would pound into Dame Tsuna's head that the boy wasn't going anywhere right now. A knowing smile crossed the Ninth's face.

"He must be quite a boy to catch your interest," said the Ninth. "A sky strong enough to capture the elusive sun. I would like to meet this Tsunayoshi of yours."

The hitman did his best not to frown at the wording. Or the tone that sounded too much like a certain storm arcobaleno's.

"Nono-," Iemitsu started, and Reborn's fingers itched to pull the trigger to both his Beretta 92FS.

"I understand your concern and our agreement, Iemitsu," said the Ninth. Only Timoteo could make his expression both hard and soft. "But the situation has changed. The agreement will be upheld _if_ the terms under which they were made were valid."

Honey brown eyes blazed at Reborn and would have set the hitman aflame. Apparently, Iemitsu actually cared for his sons' fates. The man could have fooled Reborn.

"I presume that you already have a plane waiting and prepared to head to Japan?"

Again, Reborn nodded. He knew he would not like the next words out of the Ninth's mouth.

"Then call the pilot and inform him that he will have two more passengers."

* * *

><p>The sounds of a knife striking wood calmed Nana. She made sure every slice was precise and perfect. Nothing but the best for her little Tsu-kun and…Her smile slipped, but she quickly recovered. She had yet to make breakfast for Tsuyoshi-san and Takeshi. And Fuuta was the only one of the kids who had gotten to enjoy her breakfasts. Plus Gokudera would probably pop in. Nana wasn't sure the eager boy would have even left if it hadn't been for Irie escorting the silver haired boy out. Maybe Irie would come back with Gokudera and bring along those other two too, and perhaps Lancia would return. The man had worn such a sad, defeated look when he had left last night. A hearty breakfast would cheer him right up, or rather a lunch at the rate it was taking the boys to wake up. Hopefully Lancia would bring Fuuta back with him. Nana hadn't seen Fuuta since he went to play with Lambo and I-pin hide and seek yesterday. Fuuta never strayed far from Lancia other than to visit Takesushi and Lambo and I-pin, so Fuuta probably went to visit that white haired man with Lancia.<p>

"The kids are still asleep," said Tsuyoshi-san as he entered the kitchen.

"I'm sure the smell of food will wake them right up," she said, her smile stretching to its limits. "They're growing boys. They'll eat all the time if you let them."

"I know what you mean. Lambo eats anything you put in front of him, and Takeshi doesn't stray far from the refrigerator, especially after practice."

"Between the three of you and your sword practice with Takeshi, I'm surprised that you have any food. I can't imagine I-pin eats that much. Tamaki could always out-eat Tsuna before Tsuna started practicing with Fon. Now Tsuna can eat almost as much as Tama…," she said, trailing off. A strong hand covered her shaking one, steadying the knife. Hazel eyes looked steadily into hers.

"Tsuna is surprisingly stubborn," said Tsuyoshi-san. "We will get Tamaki back."

The knife was placed carefully on the counter, and Nana rested her hands on the wooden surface. The sharply cut vegetables dulled into waves. She rubbed her eyes, but the waves, blurriness, continued. Dark nights staring at an empty spot on the bed swam across her vision, and then twin pairs of brown eyes filling the spot and looking at her with mixed fear and concern. A small hand would reach up and wipe her cheeks and face with practiced gentleness. But then, her Tsu-kun has always been a gentle child. Her chest tightened at the thought of those soft brown eyes hardening and breaking.

"Tsuyoshi-san," she said, the name escaping in a soft breath. "Why were those…those black cloaks after Tsu-kun?"

"As your son said," said the man as he moved to the other side of the counter to put the cut vegetables in the boiling pot. She could only see his back. "He made a deal for Lancia's life."

"Tsu-kun wouldn't let someone get hurt if he could stop it," said Nana with a hint of pride. Her son's soft heart would never change, but... "But how did Tsu-kun end up with them in the first place? How did his pretending to be Tamaki save Lancia-kun?"

"As I heard it, Tamaki had the proper qualifications to make a deal with those men," said Tsuyoshi-san, his back still to her as he stirred the miso soup. Nana picked the knife back up and started cutting the remaining vegetables. She forced her hand to remain steady.

"And those men were…?"

"Takeshi called them policemen," said Tsuyoshi with forced amusement in his voice. If Nana hadn't been listening so closely, she would have been fooled. Part of her wanted to ignore it, the way she had ignored her husband's overly cheerful manner when he talked about his job or the way her youngest would glare at her eldest over nothing or the darkness that filled her eldest's eyes whenever Iemtisu came home. She would excuse her husband's manner with a normal desire not to talk about work, and Tamaki also had moments where he stared at Tsuna almost longingly, and Tsuna never meant anything by his hard, shadowed gaze. She kept excusing her husband's absences and her youngest's glares and her eldest's hard gaze, even as the cheerful manner verged on ridiculous and the longing stares nearly stopped and the hard gaze started appearing at even a mention of her husband. Nana could decide to ignore her eldest's growingly heavy steps or Tsuyoshi-san's carefully worded answers in the same way.

She wouldn't worry about them except on the days where the dark corners of her mind were lighted with unforgiving clarity. Like when those chains had wrapped around her youngest and yanked him out of the house, and debris knocked her down and left her barely conscious. Or when she saw her eldest sitting surrounded by acquaintances and friends who had their eyes focused on her sweet little Tsu-kun as if waiting for direction. Or when she sat staring at the cell phone in her hands wondering if her husband would pick up and if she could dare demand that he come straight home because one of her boys was missing, taken, and the other was looking far older than his fourteen year. Or when she realized that years had passed since she had called Tamaki and Tsuna "their" boys instead of "her" boys.

"They aren't exactly policemen," Tsuyoshi-san continued, "but they're close enough."

"Tsuyoshi-san," Nana said, her voice hardening. The man stilled, and she waited until he looked back at her. "What's happening to my Tama and Tsu-kun?"

She cringed at the panic fraying the edges of her words, but she couldn't take them back. She wouldn't. Tsuyoshi-san gave her a sad smile and turned fully back at her.

"We will get them out of it," said Tsuyoshi-san. "I promise you."

Nana's chest loosened and startled her. Other than her eldest, it had been a long time since she had so simply trusted a promise. But she had made a decision. It was a mother's job to worry.

"I know," she said softly. "But please…."

"You love them," said Tsuyoshi-san. Nana's throat constricted, and the waves, returned. She pushed them back.

"Yes," she said putting the knife back down and squaring her shoulders. "I do. And that's why I need to know."

* * *

><p>Light warmed Tsuna's eyelids and stirred him into consciousness. He was late. Usually he was awake before the sun rose to make everyone but himself lunch. If he tried to make lunch for himself, Hana would make sure to <em>remind<em> him that she did not appreciate getting up early to make a lunch that no one would eat. Thankfully, Fran had come to visit yesterday, or Tsuna would have ended up eating both bentos. Neither Hana nor Tsuna liked to waste food.

A weight kept him from jerking upright in fear of receiving one of Reborn's wake-up calls. Some of the hitman's wake up methods were deadly as Tsuna had unfortunately learned the few time he woke up "late." Most wouldn't consider 5:00AM late, but then Tsuna had come to realize that Reborn was nowhere near like most people. The weight shifted, and a second weight moved a little in response to Tsuna shifting away from the first. Lifting his head up, Tsuna identified the two weights as Lambo and I-pin. The two kids snuggled into his side. Thankfully, Takeshi wasn't in his futon, so no one would see Tsuna in this position. Not that it was the first time, but Takeshi hadn't yet caught the two sneaking in and asking (or rather demanding in Lambo's case) to sleep with their "big brother". Or at least the other teen hadn't mentioned it. The scene was embarrassing. The two had even convinced Fuuta one time about three days ago to come with them when Tsuna had taken a nap after training. Tsuna didn't understand why I-pin and Lambo kept sleeping on Tsuna whenever possible. Tamaki had been the same way when they were little. He would find any reason, a storm, a nightmare, a sudden fear of the dark, to come and sleep in Tsuna's room.

"Oto-kun," Tsuna gasped as he snapped into a sitting position. A whine and a whimper dragged his attention away from the image of Tamaki suspended unconscious in chains several stories above their house. Lambo had fallen away at Tsuna's sudden movement and instinctively moved back to Tsuna's side, grabbing Tsuna's pajama top and mumbling something about not letting the bad guys get his teddy bear. I-pin started to stretch and wiggle like if she was going to wake up, but Tsuna quickly put a hand on her shoulder and she stilled and grabbed the hand. Wrapping herself around it, she sighed and smiled and went back to sleep.

"Quite the predicament you're in, kukuku," said a laughing voice. Tsuna's whole body tensed and strained not to move. The heat licked under Tsuna's skin, but it didn't burn hot enough to indicate imminent danger. The intruder was dangerous though. The man with the checkered suit bowed and tipped his checkered top hat. The checkered theme tugged at a thought somewhere in Tsuna's brain, a warning or something someone had implied was dangerous, but Tsuna couldn't remember what it was. "It's good for me though. I didn't know when else I would catch you alone. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Yonomichi."

Tsuna stared and vaguely wondered when people popping out of nowhere stopped being weird. Normally, Tsuna would have leapt from his futon and back as far away from the stranger as possible. But he couldn't with the kids clinging to him, and Byakuran had tried to appear from nowhere so many times in the last few days that Tsuna couldn't worry about strangers popping out of thin air unless they were attacking him. Even before Byakuran, Reborn had liked to jump out from some dark corner late at night and scare Tsuna before checking the boy's homework. Yep, people coming out of thin air didn't bother him anymore.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" asked the weird man. Tsuna wondered what one said to strangers who popped out of thin air. Now that he thought about it, most people in his life who popped out of thin air usually did so after he knew them, except for maybe Uncle Kawahira. "Ah, never mind. You're Sawada Tsunayoshi, future Vongola Decimo, and twin of one Sawada Tamaki who is currently being held against his will in the fifth underground level of Vindicare. Wow! I don't usually remember so much information without my notes. Guess your information is too interesting to forget."

Blackness filled Tsuna's vision as his senses struggled to capture echoes of voices and clangs that froze his wrists and ankles.

"My, you look like you've seen a ghost, fufufu," said Yonomichi amused. "Or perhaps remembering a bad dream? It's lucky for you that the former owner figured out part of how the mist _Augurio_ works and activated it, or else it would have been you and not your brother who would have ended up in the Vindice's care."

"What do you know about Tamaki?" asked Tsuna quietly, Lambo's grip on his pajama top and I-pin's hold on his hand the only things keeping him from lunging at the casually smiling man and demanding answers.

"Off the top of my head, not a lot. He's not as interesting as you are. But I have it written down somewhere," Yonomichi mumbled. He rolled down a sleeve. Lines and scribbles Tsuna couldn't decipher even in better lighting twisted and looped along the man's arm. "Heal something what's injured…middle of the day…gift…nope. This is the cursed sun's information. He's not very smart, so you should probably ask him about the gift. Should be on my other arm then…" The other sleeve went up with more scribbles surrounding it. "Oh! This has to be it. Unless it's on my ankle. But I think that's where I put my grocery list. Let's see…The mist and thunder…Definitely it!"

The man cleared his throat, and Tsuna tried not to think of strangling it. Yonomichi continued in as slightly formal tone (it still sounded too bubbly and enjoyable to be formal). "Kawahira's right, so don't worry about that. But make sure to ask Lancia for a gift in doing what your tutor should tell you. And have someone fight with your storm. He has to show you what he has. And Checkerface sent this to help."

A silver glint arced through the air. Tsuna barely caught it in his free hand before the object fell on Lambo.

"So that'll help your storm…I mean Gokudera Hayato. His name's a bit smudged see," said the man pointing to a scribble. "He could use that. Or perhaps it'll work better with your smart sun…oh my, I keep getting these wrong. Shoichi Irie's his name, right? Well, he can help Gokudera figure it out. Or the other way around, whichever works. The rai-I really need to get better pens-Yamamoto Takeshi can help too. Even you can. Not much, of course, because your only active one is powered on someone else's command. It just uses your flames as power. Hm? I wonder if I've said more than I was supposed to? It's not every day I can say so much off without reading my notes, so I got carried away. Sorry. But there is one last thing I need to say: this gift goes well with the other. And the last of the set is where the obvious sun always shines. That's it. I think. Any questions?"

"Tamaki," said Tsuna, his tone sharper than before.

"Do you know your eyes turn orange when you're mad? Very few people's eyes change like that you know. At least if I remember correctly, hahaha," said Yonomichi, his hat lopsided on his head. "You're not very smart either. That's a little disappointing. I thought you'd understand Checkerface-sama's intention. All of this has to do with your brother."

"What?" said Tsuna. All of it…? "What do Irie-kun and Gokudera and Takeshi and Kawahira and Lancia have to do with Tama—" Tsuna stopped, last night and the papers suddenly coming back to mind.

"You figured it out! Maybe you are somewhat smart too! Fufufu," said Yonomichi with a wide, pleased grin. "It's all courtesy of Checkerface-sama. He wants to see what you do with the Vindice. Oops. Said too much again. Oh well. I hope your rescue operation works. If not, don't die. You're the most interesting thing that's caught Checkerface-sama's eye in a while."

Before Tsuna could ask who Checkerface-sama was, Yonomichi walked into the wall and disappeared. Tsuna blinked. The wall was real. It wasn't like the crack, and the man wasn't like the crack either. So if neither of them were illusions, then where had Yonomichi gone? A part of Tsuna screamed that it wasn't important, but then important meant Tamaki in a mafia prison and Reborn gone and a plan that might or might not work.

"哥哥'," whispered Lambo, the small hand entangling its fingers farther into the pajama top. "Don't leave."

Brown eyes pleaded the same thing in Tsuna's mind, and Tsuna placed a hand on Lambo's head, trying to push the brown eyes back. But they wouldn't leave. Lambo grimaced and shook his head to get away from the hand. Tsuna pulled the hand back, and Lambo settled down. An object glittered against Lambo's black hair, and Tsuna carefully untangled it from the short curls. He had forgotten about the strange man's gift. Tsuna put the object up to catch the morning light, and the glittering increased and changed to a faint yellow glow. An emblem. An _Augurio_. Checkerface-sama (whoever that was) had given Tsuna an _Augurio_. Tsuna put it in the pocket of his sweatshirt. It clicked against the other one, and Tsuna took the other _Augurio_ out. The platinum object almost glowed orange and outlined all the detailing on Tsuna's favorite birthday gift.

The circular emblem that hung from the orange band never ceased to calm Tsuna. Unlike the one around his neck and the two Takeshi had, this one was always warm. The etching on the platinum didn't have the detail that the feather on the _Augurio_ tied to Takeshi's sword did, but the etching wasn't as simple as the Takeshi's other _Augurio_ either. Six simple designs repeated twice around the edge of the circle each in the positions of hours on a normal clock. The raindrops stood in place of the 12 and 7. The whirlwinds took charge of the 1 and 6 spots. The lightning bolts sat on 10 and 2. 11 and 5 were replaced by smoke-like clouds that reminded Tsuna of mist while white puffy clouds like the ones that drifted alone in the sky were where 4 and 9 would be. Suns filled up the last two places at 8 and 3. Each design sat inside four lines that didn't make squares because every design shared two lines with two others. Those shared lines extended to the middle and connected with a diamond shape. Inside the diamond was blank, but Tsuna felt like there should be something inside it. But Tsuna didn't know what. And right now, Tsuna didn't care.

Tsuna gripped the Augurio hard and closed his eyes. He pictured his brother at home in the room where Tsuna left him. Their mother would be fussing over Tamaki, making sure he ate even when he complained he wasn't hungry. But he would eat, because she wouldn't leave the room until he ate. Lancia would be watching them with that blank look the man always wore when watching over Tamaki. And Fuuta…Fuuta! Tsuna opened his eyes, pulling away from the scene. He didn't notice the _Augurio_ had burned into a clear but deep orange. It flickered out too quickly, and Tsuna had automatically placed it in his pant pocket as he rushed out of the room, too busy to see what his wish, his resolution, had almost done.

* * *

><p>Fuuta didn't know what had happened. He had come back from Takesushi and playing with I-pin and Lambo. The two only wanted to play hide and seek, and Fuuta had gotten bored when they couldn't find him. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't used the Ranking Planet to find places to hide. So he had left without telling them. They had taken hours by that point, and Tsuna was going to be home soon. Tsuna had said he was coming straight home that day, and Fuuta had wanted to be there when the older boy got home.<p>

Fuuta had gotten to the top of the stairs and was about to say he was home then the house shook and made Fuuta fall back down the stairs. His ankle had snapped, but Fuuta had ignored the resulting pain when he heard the rushing sounds of chains. He had recognized the sound immediately. He had heard it from the stairwell in Rokudo Mukuro's base. The Vindice had come. The number one organization who would take advantage of Fuuta. And the one who every reason to come and get Tsuna. But Tsuna could not have arrived from school yet. Only _Mamma_, Lancia, and Tsuna's annoying brother…oh. A scream had sounded from the room that had probably held Tsuna's brother, and thumps had echoed soon after.

Fuuta had stared back up the stairs. He had known without contacting the ranking planet that going upstairs was the #1 action that Fuuta should not do. But _Mamma_ and Lancia had been upstairs and—the house had shaken again and the stairs burst into splinters. Some had caught on Fuuta's hands as he shielded his face, and the blast had pushed him against the wall. The blast had also left Lancia laying at the bottom of the stairs, bloody and barely conscious. The man propped himself up on his elbows and strained to stand. Fuuta had wanted to help, but he couldn't move because his other leg started hurting. Lancia hadn't needed help because he had stood up without it, but a chain had snaked down from where the stairs used to be and had knocked the man against the door that broke and sent him out into the yard. More chains had slithered out and broken through the walls and whatever else was in their way. Fuuta had ducked as one whizzed over him, and he had dragged himself to the bathroom. Dust clouds followed the cracking of breaking wood or the crash of glass and ceramic breaking into a million pieces. Finally, Fuuta had gotten to the bathroom and sat in the darkest corner of the bathroom waiting until the sounds stopped. And they had, but it didn't matter. He had wanted to move, he had wanted to go find Lancia or Tsuna or _Mamma_, but his right ankle had burned and sent sharp spikes up his leg and his left thigh throbbed. Scared, Fuuta had looked at his left leg. It was swollen, and when he had tried to move it, he nearly screamed. It had hurt. And it still hurt. A lot. His right ankle was swollen too, but it didn't hurt so much to move.

Fuuta sat there for a long time. He had slept for a bit, but he kept waking up. His whole body hurt, he was cold, and he wanted to cry. But he couldn't. If he did, the Vindice would find him and take him away. Like they did Tamaki and Lancia and _Mamma_. And like they would Tsuna. The room got blurry, but Fuuta couldn't help it. He was alone. He couldn't go back to Takesushi. The Vindice would go there next, and Lambo and I-pin would find out that the Vindice had taken their 哥哥' away. And they wouldn't want anything to do with Fuuta then, because Tsuna wasn't there to tell them to be nice to him and _Mamma_ didn't give him food to share with them and Lancia wouldn't give them surprise piggy back rides when they were in the middle of a fight. Fuuta…Fuuta had to rely on himself again. He had to be strong, like he had been before meeting Lancia and Tsuna and the others. He would have to start running again when his legs healed. Until then, Fuuta would sit and wait.

His stomach grumbled and squeezed painfully and reminded him he hadn't had food since breakfast with…, but Fuuta's stomach used to complain a lot, and Fuuta didn't mind if it began hurting again. Not for a little while. A little yellow bird had come and sat on Fuuta's head, dropping a bag of soft delicious cookies onto the boy's lap and easing the hurt in Fuuta's stomach. After thanking the bird, Fuuta started thinking about what he would do next.

When his legs healed, he could use his rankings to help someone win some money. And then he would leave Namimori for some other place. Somewhere nicer than Namimori, a place that would have better food than _Mamma_ made and someone who made things safer than Lancia and would accept people like Tsuna and didn't cheat at games like Lambo or scold people like I-pin. Somewhere…somewhere Fuuta would never have to move again. Never ever run away. And Fuuta…Fuuta would never be alone.

"…ta!"

Pain surged through Fuuta's body as he jumped at the sound. Someone was near. Fuuta could only hope they wouldn't find him. He couldn't move. He had been here too long. He should have forced his leg to move, even if he screamed. He couldn't even move from his position. His left leg wouldn't bend and help him hide behind what was left of the toilet.

"Fuuta!"

A flicker of recognition sparked in Fuuta's head. That voice…! The door to the bathroom, which barely stayed upright, fell in front of Fuuta. Very worried and almost panicked brown eyes scanned the room before landing on Fuuta. A small relieved smile blossomed under them, and Fuuta blinked.

"Fuuta," said the same voice that had been calling earlier, the panicked tone gone. The brunette teen walked over to Fuuta. "Are you all right?"

Fuuta opened his mouth to say that he was okay…that he hurt….that Tsuna wasn't supposed to be here…that what happened to the Vindice…that Tamaki was taken…that…that…

"Fuuta, it'll be okay. I'm here now. It'll be okay," said Tsuna, brown eyes scanning Fuuta, making sure he wasn't hurt.

"You came," said Fuuta, his voice shaking. "You…you weren't taken by the Vindice…"

"No, I wasn't," said Tsuna, a dark shadow passing through his already dark brown eyes. But Tsuna's eyes were never that dark. "Tamaki—"

"They took him. And Lancia and _Mamma_," said Fuuta, not letting the blurriness spill out. "I…I saw them…"

"They didn't," said Tsuna. He looked Fuuta over. "They…they only took Tamaki."

Fuuta could see a hurt worse than his legs' reflected in the horrible shadows darkening those brown eyes. He smiled, trying to chase them away.

"He'll be alright," said Fuuta cheerfully. "He's got an awesome big brother."

The shadows faded, and Tsuna almost smiled. Gently, hands lifted Fuuta off the floor, and Fuuta let out a cry.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?" asked Tsuna, moving to put Fuuta back on the floor, but Fuuta grabbed the teen's lean arms.

"No," said Fuuta. He gave another smile, or he tried to. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Yes, it does," said Tsuna. "I have to go get help—"

"No! Don't leave!" cried Fuuta. Tsuna stared at him, and Fuuta bit his lip. Carefully, Tsuna placed Fuuta back down, and Fuuta didn't protest. Fuuta knew better than to cry out like that. Tsuna was just going to get help, not leave Fuuta alone again. Tsuna had the #1 kindest heart in the mafia. He wouldn't leave Fuuta. Not even if Fuuta hadn't been able to stop the Vindice from taking Tsuna's brother. Fuuta would be alone for a little while, and then Tsuna would bring back help. Fuuta only had to wait for a little while more, and he would get back to _Mamma_ and Lancia and the others. Just a little bit more.

"Can you get on?" asked Tsuna, startling Fuuta a little. The teen's back was to Fuuta, but Tsuna looked back and smiled a not-Tsuna smile. "You like piggyback rides, right?"

Fuuta nodded, and then shook his head.

"You don't like them?"

"I…It'll hurt more," Fuuta said quietly. The room was blurring again. "My leg hurts."

"It doesn't have to," said Tsuna suddenly. The brown eyes widened, and he quickly continued. "I don't know, but Reborn's pacifiers glows yellow sometimes and it's yellow. So it might work."

"Yellow?" asked Fuuta. "What's yellow?"

Taking a deep breath, Tsuna pulled out a small platinum pendant on a yellow string from his pocket. It looked cracked, like it had been used to block something strong, and was in an almost cross shape, except the four extensions were the same size and bent a little in different directions. In the middle glowed a bright yellow stone.

"This…this is a gift," said Tsuna quietly. "It's supposed to grant a wish. At least that's what Takeshi says. Want to try?"

"Okay," said Fuuta, staring at the object. It caught the light and almost glowed yellow a little like…no, just like…Fuuta reached out to grab it, startling Tsuna, but the older boy simply put it in Fuuta's hand. A soothing warmth pulsed from the object and echoed through Fuuta's body, and Fuuta clutched it. "This was Papa's."

"It was your father's?" Tsuna said confused. Fuuta nodded.

"Papa would let me hold it when I got hurt," said Fuuta. "And then he would touch it, and yellow fire would come out. And I would feel all better. He never told me how he did it. He said it was a secret."

Tsuna smiled a little, still not a Tsuna smile, and touched it. The _Sol Augurio_, as Papa used to call it, flared with sparkling yellow flames. The sparks floated in the air before falling like mini shooting stars onto Fuuta's thigh and ankle. A hot itch sunk into both injuries, but before Fuuta could move to scratch them, it stopped. Smaller sparks fell all around Fuuta, and itches pricked several places but quickly left. Soon the yellow sparks and flames were gone.

"Do you feel better?" asked Tsuna. Fuuta stared at Tsuna before tackling the teen with a hug.

"Thanks Tsuna-nii!" cried Fuuta, squeezing the teen tightly. For a moment, Tsuna froze. Then a hesitant hand patted Fuuta's head, and Fuuta knew that what he had said before was true. Tamaki had the best big brother in the world. And now Fuuta did too.

* * *

><p>Fon didn't panic. Panic resulted in wasted movement and erratic thought processes. And whatever or whoever caused the panic would seldom benefit from it, unless the person was an enemy, and one could not afford to give an enemy any advantage. Fon took a breath and stilled his twitching muscles. Lichi bounced up and down on his master's shoulder before climbing onto Fon's head to avoid his master's hard gaze. Taking another breath, Fon tried for the third time to assess the situation.<p>

Tsuna was not in his bed where he had been earlier that afternoon. Fon had left Lichi with the boy while Fon went to discuss their next move with Tsuyoshi. They couldn't keep using Takeshi's Rain _Augurio_ every time the boy needed to rest, and who knew how Tsuna would react when he finally woke up. Takeshi had long since awoken and was down in the dojo with his father going over sword theory, and the taller boy had suggested they keep going over the plan until Tsuna was better. Then they could all rescue Tamaki. Fon had been amused by the young swordsman's bright outlook and had hoped that Takeshi's scenario would prove correct. When Fon had returned upstairs, a frazzled Lichi had met him, chattering something about missing Tsuna's shoulder and the boy running from the room too fast. Fon had entered the room to try to make sense of Lichi's chattering. The first thing that had come to the martial artist's attention was that Tsuna's futon held only two small bodies. The third body and the one most in need of rest was gone. Taking another breath, Fon took Lichi off his head and loosely held the monkey at arm's length.

"Slowly. What happened," said Fon. The small white monkey shook, and the martial artist realized he hadn't succeeded in softening his tone. Shakily, the monkey chittered that Tsuna had suddenly sat straight up and knocked Lichi off. Lichi would have gone to tell Fon that Tsuna had woken up, but a strange man had appeared that smelled like the Man in the Iron Hat, so Lichi had stayed to protect Tsuna. But then the man had left without doing more than talking (Lichi didn't really understand what the man said). Without worrying about the man hurting Tsuna, and since Tsuna hadn't noticed Lichi the whole time, the monkey had decided to go get Fon. And then Tsuna had suddenly left the room after something that the strange man had given Tsuna had glowed orange. Fon had his doubts that the object that glowed had been the one that the "strange man" had given him, not if the color was orange. But the thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as Lichi chittered that the monkey had no idea where Tsuna went.

Running through the possible locations (including the one that neither he nor Reborn could enter or even locate– _that_ place, the one where the mysterious Kawahira resided), Fon hurried back to the dojo to inform Tsuyoshi and start searching for the renegade student. And when the martial artist found said renegade student, Fon would practice a binding technique that his old master had demonstrated when any of his students were needlessly reckless. Tsuna might benefit from experiencing that technique firsthand.

"Back so soon," greeted Tsuyoshi. "Is Tsuna up already?"

"He's gone," said Fon, barely noting the worried look that crossed the man's face as he decided that his student would have most likely returned to his house. Tsuna wouldn't return to _that_ place anytime soon, from what Tsuyoshi had said, the boy had become cautious of the white haired Kawahira, and Fon doubted Tsuna would go to the arcade. Something must have been left in the house that the boy considered important. The alternative…Fon decided that Tsuna had to be in the Sawada residence. "I need to go get him."

"Do you need help?" asked Tsuyoshi.

"He's probably at his house," said Takeshi. "I'll go help you get him."

"Of course," said Fon, almost managing an amused smile. Tsuyoshi's son had inherited every bit of the man's loyalty.

"Dinner's almost ready," said Nana, surprising the three. Fon hadn't considered the woman. She might know what the something Tsuna had left in the house was.

"We have to go get Tsuna, and then we'll come back and enjoy your wonderful food," said Tsuyoshi with a reassuring grin.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," said the woman with a bright smile. "I was going wake him and the kids up from their nap."

"He's already awake," said Fon quickly. "We believe he went back to your house for something he might have forgotten."

"Tsuna's never gotten too attached to things," said Nana, her smile straining. "I can't think about anything he would go back for. But I can go check."

"I think it'll be best if we check the school," said Tsuyoshi. "He may have gone in that direction."

"That's true," said Nana. "Tsuna's become so dependable in school in lately."

"I could call Hana and ask," volunteered Takeshi. Fon didn't know that Hana had gone to school that day. But then the girl did put a prime importance on academics.

"Please do that," said Fon. "There is always the arcade—"

"I'm home!" The whole room froze. That voice sounded like…but it was too playful and low pitched. A blonde man burst into the room. "Nana!"

"I-Iemitsu!"

* * *

><p>Omake 2: <em>Putting Aside the Unwanted<em>

It had been Tsuna's seventh birthday. Nana had been out of the hospital for five months by that point. Five months where Iemitsu had found himself too busy to call or write. But the Ninth had forbidden Iemitsu to continue working until the blonde man had visited his blood family. Iemitsu had spied on his sons and wife for days before deciding to show himself to them. Nana had baked a beautiful cake with white cream frosting as a base and blue swirled frosting in the form of the kanji for Tsuna's name. Iemitsu remembered Nana telling him over the phone before the incident that Tsuna had not been able to recognize his name in anything other than hiragana back while Tamaki could recognize both their names in hiragana and kanji, and Iemitsu had seen evidence of it in their classes. Their teacher had scolded Tsuna countless times for miswriting his name in kanji. The cake had obviously been meant to help Tsuna learn the kanji form of his name, and Nana had spent hours making it as perfect as possible. She had always been the sort of woman who could make a celebration out of anything, and Iemitsu decided to "crash" the party.

A cry followed the opening door as Tamaki gave out a happy cheer, and Nana ran out from the kitchen with a large kitchen knife in her hand and her face stretched and twisted and pale. Iemitsu had forced his hands to lay flat and not curl into fists. They had already been stained red with the blood of his wife's would-be assassin. Her face eased into a more familiar smile, one he had gone eight months without and only now realized how fully he missed it. Nana put the kitchen knife subtly in her pocket, probably assuming that he hadn't seen it and not wanting to worry him, and greeted him with genuine cheer. She didn't run and throw herself into his arms like she would have back when they were first married, but then the boys were in the way. Her eyes spoke of her longing to do just that. He complied with her suppressed wish and sidestepped the boys, wrapped his beefy arms around her, and planted a firm kiss on her forehead. She tilted her head backward, and he placed a deeper one on her lips. She nearly melted, and he could feel desire rising in him. A small hand gripped Iemitsu's sleeve and yanked him away from such pleasure.

"I want to hug Papa too," Tamaki demanded cutely. Iemitsu laughed and scooped up their youngest.

"So has my little Bullet gotten stronger while I was away?" asked Iemitsu as he tossed the boy high in the air. Tamaki laughed and hollered in the air, smiling widely in a way that Iemtisu hadn't seen in all his days watching the boy. When their youngest finally rested safely in his father's arms, he stopped giggling long enough to answer his father's question.

"I'm super strong," said Tamaki flexing his muscles. "Much stronger than Dame Tsuna!"

"Dame Tsuna?" asked Iemitsu, finally turning to their eldest. Tsuna had stayed by Nana's side, not taking a step closer to his father. "Did you get a new nickname while I was gone?"

Tsuna didn't say anything, but he lacked the shy smile that Iemitsu was used to seeing upon the blonde man's entrance. In fact, Tsuna's eyes were dark, and the empty gaze sent a shiver down Iemitsu's spine. The dark brown eyes pinned Iemitsu in place, analyzing him, judging him, but then Iemitsu put Tamaki down and swept up Tsuna, and the dark brown eyes disappeared, replaced by wide, startled, chocolate brown. The eyes that never failed to remind Iemitsu of Nana. Tsuna squeaked and clung to the large arms as they tried to toss him like they had Tamaki.

"Let go, my little Tuna-fish, or you won't go as high as your brother," said Iemitsu. Tsuna shook his head, prompting Iemitsu to sigh inwardly. His wife was many things, but she wasn't a coward. "Come on. My little Bullet didn't have problem doing it."

"It's too scary!" cried Tsuna, clinging tighter to Iemitsu's arm. Iemitsu laughed heartily and stopped trying to throw Tsuna upwards. Apparently, Iemitsu had to try a different tactic. In the brief moment of stillness, Tsuna's grip loosened a little.

"Don't you know? Real men face their fears!" said Iemitsu, tossing Tsuna up in the air. Tsuna cried out as he flew through the air, and Nana nearly snatched him out of the air and pulled him safely into her chest. But Iemitsu sent her a look, the he-would-take-care-of-it look. Iemitsu would be the one to catch the small flying boy. After a lot of unnecessary screaming, Tsuna landed safely into Iemitsu's arms. "See? Wasn't that fun?"

The deep breaths that Tsuna took didn't leave the tiny brunette a chance to answer. Usually, this would be the part where Tamaki would hurry over and drag Tsuna out of Iemitsu's arms and tell Iemitsu that Tsuna didn't like it. But their youngest did nothing. Tamaki stood there with a smile, no a smirk, on his face. The smirk startled Iemitsu, who had known his sons to be inseparable. Sure, they had barely spoken to one another in the last few days, but Iemitsu had assumed that they had been in an argument. Siblings got into fights sometimes, or so Oregano said every time one of the Vongola heirs ended up beaten and bruised at Xanxus's hands. Tsuna didn't seem bruised or hurt, so it would be fine. The two boys would make up soon. After Iemitsu put Tsuna down, Tamaki had grabbed Iemitsu's hand and wouldn't let go.

The cake was cut, and an argument broke out. Tamaki demanded to have the "biggest" piece, and Nana tried to remind him softly that it was Tsuna's birthday. Tamaki refused to let Tsuna have the cake piece.

"Now, now," said Iemitsu. "It's Tsuna's birthday."

"No," said Tamaki. "I want it. And Tsuna doesn't care."

Tsuna shook his head and reached for another piece, but Iemitsu stopped him. Iemitsu grinned at their youngest, comparing the look on Tamaki's face to Xanxus's as a child. But Tamaki is more petulant child than violent brat. Actually, Tsuna's earlier expression reflected more of Xanxus…Iemitsu blinked back the thought. His eldest was nothing like Xanxus, and neither was his youngest. And there was cake to be eaten.

"Well, since it's your birthday tomorrow, you can have an even bigger piece then, don't you think?" said Iemitsu.

"Yeah," said Tamaki. "But I want to get the big piece today too. I'm stronger than Tsuna, so I get to have the biggest piece."

"Oh, and why's that?" asked Iemitsu, amused by the answer.

"Because I have to stay stronger. Which means I need to have more energy. And teacher says energy comes from food."

"But cake isn't good energy, remember?" said Nana. "Vegetables are good energy."

"Your mom's right," said Iemitsu. "So you need to eat the most vegetables if you eat the most cake."

Their youngest wrinkled his nose, but Tamaki soon nodded.

"Can I have the biggest piece if I eat the most vegetables later?" asked Tamaki.

"Of course," said Iemitsu. Tamaki took the largest piece and started to eat.

"I'm done," said a quiet voice from the other corner of the table. Tsuna had an empty plate in front of him. Iemitsu had forgotten the boy during the conversation.

"Already?" said Nana, quickly hurrying over to pick up Tsuna's plate. "Do you want more?"

Tsuna shook his head and smiled brightly in a way Iemitsu had never seen before.

"Thank you, Mama," said the boy softly and dipped into a bow.

"I want more," said Tamaki, icing smeared all over his mouth.

"But you're not done with your piece yet," said Nana.

"But I want more," said Tamaki. The icing dripped from his cheeks as he frowned. Nana sent a pleading look to Iemitsu, and he chuckled nervously. He had played father enough tonight. Tsuna mumbled something, and Tamaki instantly bristled. "That's not true!"

"But Tsuna's right," said Nana.

"He is? What did he say?" asked Iemitsu.

"Dad, right I don't need to eat more vegetables if I eat more cake?" asked Tamaki, tugging on Iemitsu's sleeve.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"See!" said Tamaki, glaring at his brother. "I don't need to eat more vegetables!"

Brown eyes appeared from under brown bangs, and Iemitsu saw a replica of his wife's most disappointed expression on a much younger face. Tamaki's glare skidded to the side and away from the expression as the icing covered cheeks puffed out.

"Fine," said Tamaki, pushing the half empty plate away. "I wasn't hungry anymore."

"Time for your bath then," said Nana.

"But I don't want a bath!" Tamaki whined. "And it's Tsuna's turn first!"

Iemitsu grinned and watched as his wife finally pried their youngest away from the table and to the bathroom. Their youngest certainly had a stubborn streak. It would serve him well if the ever came into the situation where he had to be Vongola Decimo. Timoteo had promised to keep the twins away from the mafia, outside the world of the famiglia, especially after the incident. No one should have known about Nana, but an off-handed comment to Tumeric had ended up with Nana almost dead. Iemitsu had proceeded to discuss the matter with the Ninth, and though the boys were both eligible heirs to Vongola, only one would be allowed to enter the _famiglia_. When it came down to between the twin who was scared of everything, who still had trouble writing his name, and was so easily forgettable and the other who was scared of nothing, who could at least write his name, and wouldn't let anyone forget him when he was in the room, the choice had been obvious. And as Iemitsu had suspected, Tamaki took his promise to become stronger and prove himself a man to Iemitsu seriously, so his youngest should be prepared should ever the day come. His little Tuna-fish, on the other hand, would never be up to the task.

The air shifted and became stifling. The boy who had earlier been near invisible suddenly caught Iemitsu's full attention. The blank brown eyes had reappeared and stared straight at Iemitsu. No timidity quivered their edges or had them look away when Iemitsu caught their stare. Iemitsu couldn't recognize them. They resembled his little Tsuna's, but then they blinked and shimmered, allowing Iemitsu a glimpse of…something…

"Papa," said a quiet voice. "Where were you?"

The familiar question set Iemitsu's mind at ease, and he grinned at the boy. He mentally flipped through his cover stories. Picking one, he scooted his chair closer to Tsuna, whose gaze had not left his father.

"I was at work, directing traffic at the North Pole!" said Iemitsu. "I couldn't get here sooner because _Babbo Natale_ had such a hard time with directing the penguins up there!"

"What's bahboe nahtahlay?" asked Tsuna, his nose wrinkling in a similar way to Tamaki's had earlier.

"_Babbo Natale_," Iemitsu repeated. "He's the man who lives in the North Pole and brings presents for good little boys and girls on Christmas."

"Oh," said Tsuna, those brown eyes darkening again. "He's a story."

"He's not a story," said Iemitsu, puffing out his chest. "I met him myself."

"Did you tell him about Mama?" asked the small boy. The dark brown eyes that bore little resemblance to Nana's once again pinned Iemitsu in place. "Or about Tamaki?"

"I talked about you three all day long," said Iemitsu, trying to reassure the boy. So that's what this was all about. Iemitsu's little Tuna-fish was worried about his Papa forgetting him. Iemitsu had seen it before in some of his coworker's children when said coworkers were away from their homes for long periods of time. The children would worry that their parents had forgotten about them. As if Iemitsu could ever do anything of the sort with his little bullet and tuna-fish.

"Did he tell you you should come home?"

"Ah, it wasn't that simple," said Iemitsu, growing uncomfortable under the now seven year old's gaze. He scratched his cheek as he tried to figure out what exactly he needed to say to get that gaze to go back to the soft, shy one he was used to. "Papa had tons of work to do in order to keep those penguins in line. Otherwise _Babbo Natale_ couldn't get his work done and children all over the world would be unhappy."

"You're lying." The phrase came out Iemitsu's sweet son's lips entirely too sharply.

"Now, now, why would Papa lie to you?" asked Iemitsu, his finger scratching too hard and almost drawing blood from his cheek.

"I don't know," said Tsuna tonelessly. The shadowed gaze had taken a slight orange sheen. "But you lie to me and Mama and Tamaki a lot."

"And what makes you think that, my little Tuna-fish?" asked Iemitsu leaning slightly backwards and away from the boy in his lap. The almost orange eyes didn't let Iemitsu's discomfort lessen, even as the head they were attached to cocked in a childish manner.

"Because you do lie," said Tsuna, in tone that didn't match the high-pitched voice. "Because you say that you were with penguins, but you weren't. Because you say you couldn't come, but you could. Because you say that you love Mama and Tamaki and me, but you don't."

"That's not true," said Iemitsu, his arms slipping from their places around the small boy. Anger boiled in his stomach as confusion lurched it. Someone had been lying to his little Tuna-fish to turn him against his father. "I love Tamaki, Mama, and you very much."

"No you don't," answered the little boy calmly. "Because you didn't come home."

"I already told you, Tuna-fish, I couldn't come home. I had too much work."

The orange-hinted brown eyes narrowed in a harder manner than before, and Tsuna jumped off Iemitsu's lap.

"It's hot when you talk," said Tsuna, giving Iemitsu one last hard look. "Like it is when people lie."

With those confusing words, Tsuna headed out of the dining room. The little boy didn't look back once to see the shocked expression on Iemitsu's face. Iemitsu had stared at the doorway, working through the churning in his stomach and the heaviness in his chest to figure out exactly what has happened. But nothing of the sort happened. The little boy that had marched out of the room wasn't anything like Iemitsu's Tuna-fish. Iemitsu's Tuna-fish would smile shyly and attach himself to Nana's skirts, and his gaze wouldn't be able to pin the experienced CEDEF leader in place with the help of a few well-placed words. Iemtisu's Tuna-fish was no-good and adorably so.

Comforting himself with the thought that his mind was playing tricks on him due to unnecessary guilt, Iemitsu indulged himself by pulling his wife into his lap the instant she entered the room and locking her lips with his. Thought escaped him for the next bit, and when thought was once again possible, he decided that he had spent enough time idling. He needed to get back to Italy and return to running the CEDEF. His adoptive father's organization would not thrive without his presence, and the Nono couldn't possibly continue without him. His quick departure had nothing to do with the continued dark mistrust shadowing Nana's eldest's eyes or the growing heaviness that invaded his chest every time their youngest's small hands clung to his clothes or his wife's brown eyes dulled as he pulled away from her. Iemitsu was a busy man, and his wife understood that. And his sons would grow up and understand that he did this all to protect them. Besides, it was better this way. Nana would wait eagerly for Iemitsu's return with romantic fantasies filling her head, and Tamaki was growing up strong and daring like his father, and Tsuna…Tsuna would stay with Nana and comfort her when Tamaki became the Vongola Decimo.

So the next day, Iemitsu woke up early and told his wife that his job had called him to the far reaches of Canada to help with their moose crossings. She giggled when he had spun a story where the herding of moose saved the world, and she put her head to his chest and asked if the world could wait another day. He had said no, of course not, as she buried her face deep into his chest. After taking a deep breath, she had smiled at him and wished him the best luck.

He had not realized until several months later that he had left on their youngest's birthday without even saying goodbye, and only then thanks to one of his subordinates who had asked why October was such an important month to Iemitsu. He had called Nana and asked how their youngest's birthday went. Nana had cheerfully described how she had made a bigger cake and invited all Tamaki's friends and even given their youngest two extra surprise presents. The cheerfulness had skipped a beat as she had gone on to recount how Tamaki had demanded more because Papa had been at Tsuna's birthday and not his. Iemitsu had laughed hard to distract from the image of dark orange-brown eyes and commented that their boys were so adorable. Nana had laughed less heartedly than he did, but she quickly recovered by asking when he would come home and mentioning that Tamaki hadn't been feeling well again.

Sighing inwardly at his wife's overprotectiveness, Iemitsu reassured it that whatever was plaguing Tamaki was probably nothing worse than a cold. The CEDEF leader couldn't have his wife babying the possible future heir to Vongola. Tamaki was tough; he could take a small fever. He had back when Iemitsu had talked to Tamaki in the hospital. And if the tendency to catch fevers got back to the Ninth, Timoteo might reconsider Tamaki as a legitimate heir and then…he shook off the dark orange-tinted eyes. Eyes that didn't belong on such a young face. Eyes that should not belong on a child of his or Nana's.

Pushing aside the image, he ended the call saying that his work was calling him and he had to go. One the phone was back on its hook, he decided to head back to the office and bury himself in paperwork. He loved his eldest son, but with his mind playing tricks on him with imaginary orange-brown eyes, it had become hard to remember the cute no-good little boy who really was Iemitsu's eldest. Once the image faded, Iemitsu would feel better about his eldest. Until then, he would anger Lal and irritate Oregano and exasperate Tumeric. Perhaps there was someone new at the office that he could tell about his youngest's latest shenanigan and complain over how much he missed his wife. Thankfully, no one at the office knew that he had two sons. So, for a little while, he could pretend he only had one.


	39. Awkward Meetings

Chapter 39: _Awkward Meetings_

Fuuta swung from Tsuna's arm, and Tsuna didn't have the heart to stop the dark blonde boy. He couldn't believe he had left Fuuta in the rubble of the house for almost 24 hours. Why hadn't checked on the boy earlier? Things had spun out of control, but if Tsuna had forgotten Fuuta, what else could Tsuna have forgotten? What if something went wrong with the plan because Tsuna had forgotten something?

"Oh, it's you," said Fuuta suddenly stretching out his free hand. A familiar yellow ball of fluff landed on the boy's fingers. "Thanks again for the cookies."

"Cookies?" asked Tsuna.

"Uh huh," said Fuuta nodding happily. He lifted the bird up so Tsuna could see it better. "When I was really hungry, this bird brought me a bag of cookies."

"Really?" said Tsuna. He smiled slightly crookedly at the bird and bobbed his head in a very shallow bow for Fuuta's sake. And maybe to keep the bird's owner from getting angrier at Tsuna than the older teen already was. "Thanks for helping him."

The yellow ball of fluff puffed up and fluttered in a whirl of feathers onto Tsuna's shoulder.

"Herbivore, herbivore," chirped the tiny bird. Not sure of what to do, Tsuna reached up to pat the puffball, but it pecked his fingers. Tsuna quickly yanked back his hand.

"Don't do that! Bad bird!" cried Fuuta, glaring the bird. He tried to shoo the bird away, but it merely moved to Tsuna's head.

"Hibari, Hibari," the bird chirped angrily. Tsuna sighed. Animals usually didn't like him, so he shouldn't be surprised. He had gotten too used to Lichi and Leon liking him.

"I told you to leave Tsuna-nii alone!" cried Fuuta. Tsuna stared at the boy's sudden change in address, but Fuuta didn't notice. The younger boy was too busy trying to reach up and get the bird out of Tsuna's hair. Worried the bird might attack Fuuta too, Tsuna pushed down the boy's arms.

"It's okay. I think…," Tsuna started, blinking as the words came out of his mouth. "I think he's mad that I hurt his master."

"Hibari, Hibari," chirped the bird affirmatively. Or maybe it was only Tsuna's imagination. The bird started flying circles around Tsuna's head. "Namimori, Namimori."

"What's it saying now?" asked Fuuta amazed. Tsuna smiled nervously. How was he supposed to know? The bird chirped like a normal bird and flew behind them. It landed on a lamppost that Tsuna vaguely remembered catching a blow meant for Byakuran.

"Namimori, Namimori," the bird chirped again. Tsuna vaguely wondered if he was going insane to think that the bird was actually trying to communicate with him. But Lichi and Leon were really smart, though there seemed to be more to them than just unusually high animal intelligence. Still, maybe Hibari's bird (its name was Hibird, wasn't it?) was really trying to communicate with Tsuna.

"Is it…is it because I damaged Namimori property?" asked Tsuna hesitantly. The bird cheeped. "Are you protecting Namimori while Hibari recovers?"

The bird cheeped again.

"Wow, Tsuna-nii," said Fuuta. "I didn't know you could talk to birds."

"Well…I…," Tsuna said, his face flushing a little. "It's not me. Hibari's the one who made it smart."

"But I couldn't understand it," said Fuuta pouting a little. Tsuna frowned a little, wondering how to explain that to understand Hibird you had to know his owner. Before Tsuna could think of what to say, the little bird demanded their attention again.

"Hibari, Hibari," said the bird, flapping its wings and bouncing on the lamppost.

"Oh…um…I'll see if I can find someone to fix the lamppost," said Tsuna quickly. He had no idea how he would, but the bird wasn't going to leave him alone until he took responsibility for the damage. Not if it was like Hibari. It cheeped pleased (how could a bird sound pleased?), and Tsuna took Fuuta's hand which distracted the boy from the bird. The hand holding felt awkward (people didn't do things like this in Japan), but after hugging Tsuna, Fuuta had hung onto Tsuna's hand. And Tsuna didn't have the heart to pull away from the boy. Having Tsuna's hand made the boy's smile wider, so Tsuna would let Fuuta have his hand. A puff of yellow feathers suddenly blocked their way.

"Hibari, Hibari," the bird chirped angrily. It circled Tsuna's head once and made Tsuna turn to watch as it flew a little ways and perched on street sign on the corner of the block. "Hibari, Hibari."

"I think it wants us to follow it," said Fuuta eagerly, pulling a little too hard on Tsuna's arm. "Come on, Tsuna-nii."

"I'm sorry, Fuuta," said Tsuna, standing firm and not letting the younger boy drag him to the opposite end of the sidewalk. "We have to get back to Takesushi. The others…they don't like it when they don't know where I am. And Mom's probably worried about you."

"But you're the one that noticed I was missing," said Fuuta, and the hurt tone almost made Tsuna cringed. The yellow puffball peeped impatiently.

"Hibari, Hibari," it called again.

"Hurry, Tsuna-nii, before it bites you again," said Fuuta, pulling harder. Tsuna didn't move. They needed to get back. Tsuna's mother would soon realize that Fuuta was missing, or worse Fon would notice Tsuna had left without saying anything. Tsuna had been too worried about Fuuta to stop and tell someone where he was going. And Tsuna didn't want to know how much closer he would be watched if they found him gone. And his mother didn't need another of her sons missing.

"Hibird, come here," said Tsuna, managing to get the heat to wash over him. The bird cocked its head, but eventually fluttered into Tsuna's hand. Tsuna gave the bird a small smile. "I'll visit Hibari later. He's still in the hospital?"

The yellow puffball cheeped.

"As soon as I can, I'll go over and see him to thank him for the cookies," said Tsuna, somehow sure that Hibari had sent the bag. The bird cheeped and perched again on Tsuna's shoulder.

"Promise, promise," chirped the bird, and Tsuna felt his lips twitch a little higher.

"I promise," said Tsuna, and the yellow puffball cheeped once more before disappearing into the sky in a flurry of yellow.

"Tsuna-nii," said Fuuta, this time lightly tugging on Tsuna's arm. Tsuna looked down at the blonde boy whose light brown eyes continued to trail after the slight spot of yellow fading against a dark grey cloud. "Can I go with you to say thank you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Tsuna nervously. "Hibari doesn't like crowds."

"Oh," said Fuuta. "Can you give him a ranking as a present from me?"

"I'll try," said Tsuna. He doubted that Hibari would be happy to see him. But Hibari was Tsuna's friend, and friends visited each other at the hospital (and hopefully didn't kill their friend on sight). Maybe Hibari would forgive Tsuna for skipping school for a few days…

* * *

><p>He had hurried into the room (making note to investigate later why a sushi shop had a dojo in the back), calling out the name of the person he most wanted to see in the world. The hesitation in his name barely bothered Iemitsu. He ran across the room to where his wife was and threw his arms around her. He took in her scent, the smell of flour or vegetables or whatever she had been cooking mixed and grounded by her (his) favorite wisteria perfume. He frowned as he realized whatever she had been cooking had completely overwhelmed his favorite part of her scent, but cuddled her to him tighter anyway.<p>

"I missed you so much Nana," he cried, looking down at her with love struck eyes. She loved when he looked at her like that.

"Iemitsu," she said, blushing beautifully. Her eyes looked everywhere but his, and Iemitsu suddenly realized she hadn't thrown her arms around him. She gave him a sweet if little shaky smile that lacked…something. Something that he loved about it. Something that was truly Nana. Then he remembered. He squeezed her tighter. He whispered in her ear, "We'll get him back."

She stiffened, and as he let her go, her smile did not relax. Where was his Nana? His Nana would swat him playfully if she was cooking or gaze at him with love in her eyes and with her eyes alone persuade him into a kiss. He went to wrap his arms around her again and persuade her that she didn't need to worry. Iemitsu would get their little one back if he had to rip Vindicare apart with his bare hands. But she was already out of his reach with that taunt smile. She almost looked like she was backing away from him.

"I didn't know you were coming home," she said.

"He insisted," said Reborn, appearing from behind him. "Someone else is with us."

"Good evening," said the Ninth, standing at the door. "May I come in?"

"Please do," said a black haired man who stood next to a boy that was obviously the man's son. Iemitsu narrowed his eyes at the two, recognizing them as Tsuna's friend and the friend's father that Reborn mentioned. They, especially the man, had been the ones to introduce Tsuna to the storm arcobaleno. And then Tsuna had used what little training the storm arcobaleno had given the boy and tried to take on one of the mafia's worst criminals and make a deal with the Vindice. Iemistu's Tsuna would never have done that. Iemitsu's Tsuna would cling to his brother and smile shyly at their father. Iemitsu's Tsuna would stay quietly near his mother helping her. The Tsuna that Reborn had described would have been admired by Iemitsu's Tsuna like the little adorable brunette had admired Tamaki, but Iemitsu's Tsuna would also be scared of such a daring, reckless boy, like the quivering brunette often was of Iemitsu's outings. Images of Iemitsu's little Tsuna acting very different and cold towards Iemitsu popped up briefly, but Iemitsu quickly pushed them back. That time didn't matter, was really figments of his guilty conscience. His little Tsuna had still been that little brunette who slipped on his own two feet. Tsuna's low grades and athletic scores had continually confirmed that truth. But this man and his son…they had stolen Iemitsu's Tsuna and replaced him with another.

"It's quite alright," said the Ninth, and Iemitsu realized he had missed part of the conversation. "I don't mind standing. You seemed to be in the middle of something before Iemitsu decided he could not wait another moment to see his precious Nana. I apologize for the intrusion, but one cannot blame him too much."

Reborn snorted, but Iemitsu ignored the hitman. Right now, the only thing that kept the two from attempting to kill each other was the Ninth's constant presence. The don had known better than to leave the two Mafioso alone. And for the first time, Iemitsu wished the Ninth was not so observant. The hitman had gone against orders and had placed Iemitsu's boys in danger. Iemitsu wanted some time to teach the hitman why no one had ever tried to target his family after _that_ incident.

"Iemitsu," said a sharp voice. Worried brown eyes softened the hard tone, but Iemitsu immediately stopped glaring at the meddling hitman. "Did you not hear what was just said?"

"I'm sorry," said Iemitsu trying to adopt the carefree attitude that he usually found so easy to wear around his wife. He looked over at Nana with a goofy, lopsided smile. "I was distracted by the beauty in this room."

"I didn't know you felt that way, Iemitsu," said the hitman with a smirk.

"I wasn't talking to you," growled Iemitsu.

"Of course. You weren't looking at me," said Reborn. Iemitsu clenched his fists and barely stopped himself from pulling them back.

"Enough," said the Ninth. The two stilled under the command. "Iemitsu, it appears your eldest is currently missing."

"Tsuna?" said Iemitsu, snapping his glare away from the hitman.

"Yes," said the Ninth. A heavy feeling enveloped Iemitsu. Timoteo rarely looked so grim outside of his office. Despite what those outside the Vongola's inner circle thought, Timoteo did not have the famous Vongola intuition. That intuition hadn't been seen since the first generation. The Primo's cousin who became the Secondo did not have the famous intuition, though the Secondo did a good job of hiding that fact. No one ever considered that the violent, brash man had an amazing collection of spies that helped him fake having the Primo's instinctual hidden knowledge of things, the knowledge that people had taken to calling the Vongola hyper intuition. Iemitsu, despite being descended from the Primo, couldn't claim to have the Primo's ability either. Reborn had insinuated that Tsuna and Tamaki both may have inherited the hyper intuition, but Iemitsu couldn't believe the hitman. Too many generations had passed, and the gene pool was too watered down. The Vongola hyper intuition was probably lost for a ll time. But the point was that, intuition or not, when the Ninth put on that grim expression, something terrible would follow. Not because the Ninth "sensed" something wrong, but because from the information he had gathered, he _knew_ something was wrong.

"I remember someone promising that they would keep him from doing anything stupid," said Reborn, the darkness in his words directed to someone other than Iemitsu for the first time in several hours.

"Lichi was with him," said a small figure in a master's red Northern Kung Fu uniform. He had to be the storm arcobaleno. Iemitsu had not met the martial art master in person, but the CEDEF leader had heard enough about the storm arcobaleno from Lal and Colonello to recognize the Chinese toddler. A small white monkey slumped mournfully on the small martial art master's head. "But a man appeared in the room and he was understandably rattled."

"You should teach him to see through illusions," said Reborn. "I doubt that Shoichi Irie's patron will stop following Tsuna around any time soon."

"It wasn't the Byakuran boy," said the storm arcobaleno. Byakuran? That name had been featured in one of Oregano's reports. The son of the Gesso _famiglia's_ boss. "Lichi said that the intruder reminded him of the Man in the Iron Hat."

If Iemitsu didn't know better, he would have thought that the hitman flinched. But no, Reborn's face was perfectly blank.

"So where is he?" asked the hitman.

"We haven't found him yet," said the man who had doomed Iemitsu's Tsuna. The man wore a wide fool's grin. "But then we haven't looked. He probably went home."

"We're back!" cried a voice. Iemitsu's mind whirled as it tried to match the voice to face, since the timber sounded so familiar, but the pitch and firmness of the voice didn't sound right. The voice should be more high pitched and have a certain insecurity quavering in it. The voice continued too low to understand, and a second joined it. No one in the room moved, but several eyes turned expectantly towards the door. Exchanging a look with the Ninth, Iemitsu turned to the door as well, preparing for an enemy attack and standing in front of the Ninth. A dark blonde boy ran into the dojo.

"You were right Tsuna-nii. They're here!" said the boy.

"Fuuta don't run in there," said the voice as an older boy with brown spikey hair walked in. "Takeshi and Yamamoto-san might be trai—"

The voice trailed off as the older boy took in the crowd gathered in the room. When his brown eyes (so like Nana's) landed on Iemitsu, they widened with recognition. But instead of those eyes shifting into an uncertain, shy expression, they hardened and reflected an expression that Iemitsu sometimes saw in the mirror after a mission gone wrong. An instant later, the expression had disappeared as the boy's head hit the ground.

"Did you miss me?" asked the hitman. The boy mumbled something barely audible before lifting his head that still held the hitman off the floor. The storm arcobaleno landed in front of the boy. A hand was stretched out, and the boy sat up and unhesitatingly stretched out his. The small hand wrapped around the boy's wrist before black eyes stared at brown.

"I'm afraid that our training this afternoon will extend an extra hour," said the storm arcobaleno as he retracted his hand. The boy nodded with a resigned frown.

"And then you have training with me after that," said the hitman.

"Training?" asked the boy, a tremble of fear invading the earlier firm tones.

"Your current teacher isn't doing a good enough job," said the hitman with a smirk that the boy seemed to feel despite not seeing it.

"You should probably hear his plans before executing any of your own," said the storm arcobaleno.

"Plans?" asked the Ninth, drawing attention to his presence. "That sounds interesting."

"Who are you?" asked the boy, not a hint of Iemitsu's Tsuna's adorable stutter. A "ouch" followed after as the hitman kicked the boy.

"You should have more respect," said Reborn. "The Ninth came all this way to see you."

"Ninth? As in…," said the younger blonde boy. He paled and hid behind the older boy who resembled Iemitsu's Tsuna. The older boy stood up fully so that the younger one would be more hidden.

"How…How can I help you?" asked the older boy, slightly twitching. He didn't broadcast fear like Iemitsu's Tsuna, but those used to the subtlety of body language could see the discomfort that came when standing in front a viable threat.

"Apparently the question isn't what you can do for me," said the old man with a gentle smile and hard eyes. "But what you should do to make up for your mistake."

* * *

><p>After a short discussion, they had decided to move the strange meeting to the restaurant area, though Yamamoto-san didn't change the closed sign. Tsuna had sent Fuuta to check on Lambo and I-pin, and Tsuna's mother and Yamamoto-san had gone into the kitchen to find refreshments while the others took seats around the largest table. Takeshi immediately sat on Tsuna's right, and Fon took Tsuna's left. Reborn had leapt off Tsuna's head and sat, or rather stood, next to the old man, and Tsuna's...father sat on the old man's left. Making the conscious decision not to glare at the blonde man, Tsuna mentally dismissed the man's presence. He had to keep his attention on the old man sitting straight across from him.<p>

"It's nice to meet you in person," said the old man. "I'm Timoteo Corazza, the Ninth boss of Vongola. Or should I say Corazza Timoteo? That's how it would be framed in Japanese, correct?"

"It's nice to meet you, Corazza-san," said Tsuna, cautious not to stutter. Given the look on Reborn's face, to stutter now would mean certain death. Or at least endless torture. With Reborn, death was probably the better option. "What…what brings you to Japan?"

Tsuna flinched under the intensity of the glare Reborn sent him. But Tsuna hadn't stuttered. He'd just hesitated. Really, what was he supposed to say to such a powerful man?

"I heard that my chosen heir had been apprehended by the Vindice," said Corazza. Tsuna flinched again, earning another glare from Reborn. Tsuna had forgotten that Tamaki was also the Vongola heir. Of course the organization would be worried that Tamaki had been taken. And that Tsuna had posed as the Vongola Decimo.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said, quickly bowing. He clenched his fists. He couldn't face this man now. He had to rescue Tamaki. Tsuna couldn't be facing whatever punishment that Corazza had in mind. Unless…maybe Corazza would contact the Vindice and tell them that they had the wrong twin. As soon as hope began to swell in Tsuna's chest (Tamaki could be released without putting the others in danger), another thought squashed that possibility. Takeshi and the others (including Reborn and probably even Byakuran) would not let the Vindice take Tsuna without a fight. Worse, they would try to use the plan without him, and someone (Takeshi or worse Lancia) would attempt to play his part in the exchange. And since neither of them looked anything like Tsuna, the plan would fail. Tsuna's fingers dug into his palms. He couldn't let them do that.

"I see you have your father's knack for letting your thoughts drift away from you," said Corazza, and Tsuna's nails nearly tore into his flesh. He attempted to release the fists and unclench his teeth. His…father wasn't important at this point. The heat flared under his skin, and Tsuna couldn't push it completely down. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"I apologize," said Tsuna, the heat raging under his skin and in his words. He didn't raise his head. He couldn't let Corazza see his eyes. He didn't know why, but he knew it wouldn't help the situation. Not while his _father_ sat at the Vongola boss's side. "I have a lot on my mind."

"Of course," said the old man. A genuine understanding laced Corazza's words. "Tamaki is your brother before he is the future Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna bit his lip and ignored the heat as it flared. He couldn't call the Vongola boss out on his lie. Too much was riding on Corazza's good grace. Tsuna wasn't used to holding back words. Usually it was the other way around. But for Tamaki…for Tamaki Tsuna couldn't fail. This conversation had to go perfectly.

"My actions were what caused the problem," said Tsuna, keeping his head down and focusing on the heat. He couldn't mess up. "If I hadn't—"

"Why did you impersonate the Vongola Decimo?" demanded Corazza in an unreadable tone.

"I…" Tsuna faltered. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna resisted the urge to take out his glasses. This wasn't a fight, and the glasses would cause more problems. An elbow nudged his arm, and Tsuna peeked to his right. Takeshi grinned, and Tsuna straightened as he took another breath. "I had heard from Reborn that you were going to send Tamaki to fight Rokudo Mukuro. One of my friends decided he wanted to take care of the threat to Namimori. I had…a bad feeling, so I didn't want leave him to face the danger alone. Mukuro had laid a trap, and my friend got caught in it. At the same time, I had to fight Lancia-san who was still partially under Mukuro's control and was posing as Rokudo Mukuro. After I defeated him, Lancia-san explained the situation to me, and I had to fight Rokudo Mukuro and two of his men, since my friend had taken care of the rest."

"This is all interesting," said Corazza. "But it doesn't explain what you were doing using the Vongola Decimo name."

The comment nearly made Tsuna look up to see what expression the old man was wearing, but another nudge and reminder of why he shouldn't stopped Tsuna. He took another breath.

"I told you all that so you would understand that I didn't plan to use the Vongola Decimo title. I didn't want to pretend to have it, but after seeing what Rokudo Mukuro could do, I couldn't let Lancia-san be punished for something he didn't do. I remembered what Reborn had said about you sending Tamaki, so I thought I could pose as the Vongola Decimo and keep Lancia away from the Vindice. I thought since Tamaki would get credit for stopping Rokudo Mukuro…it wouldn't make a difference. Tamaki could take the credit, and Lancia could go free."

"Unfortunately, it did make a difference," said Corazza. "Or else I would be in Italy and Tamaki would be here continuing his training under Reborn to become the Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna stayed quiet, waiting for the old man to continue speaking. But Corazza said nothing else, and the silence that filled the room had Tsuna suppressing the urge to fidget under the heavy gaze. Tsuna bit his lip harder to keep more words from spilling out. He couldn't talk first. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that talking first was a very bad idea. A sign of a weakness he couldn't afford to show.

"So what is this plan of yours?" asked Corazza. Breathing in one more time, Tsuna cooled the heat, which was easier since the atmosphere had grown lighter, and looked up. The old man's brown eyes crinkled at the corners and seemed warm, but Tsuna thought he saw a hidden alertness behind the mellow gaze. A lump got stuck in Tsuna's throat, and now Tsuna couldn't think of what to say. Whatever he said would be analyzed and picked apart behind that kindly gaze. And if Corazza didn't approve of the plan then Tsuna wouldn't—

"Hey, sword freak!" called a voice, breaking through the newly returned silence. A bell chimed at the entrance, and Tsuna nearly sighed in relief at the sound. "Is Tsuna-sama awak—"

The bomber abruptly stopped and stared at the men at the table. Tsuna had trouble catching Gokudera's gaze, but when he did, the bomber instantly strode over and sat on Tsuna's left as Fon took a seat on Tsuna's shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late, Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera, sitting ramrod straight. He was scowling fiercely, but thankfully, the bomber wasn't glaring at the men across the table. Adjusting his posture for Fon, Tsuna smiled slightly at Gokudera, silently thanking him. A pleased blush decorated Gokudera's cheeks, but the bomber kept sitting like a soldier at Tsuna's side. Takeshi also gave Gokudera a grin, which Gokudera replied to with a glare.

"You got here right on time," said Tsuna. "Corazza-san wants to hear the plan."

Gokudera nodded and stood as he took a folded paper out of his pocket. He opened the paper, revealing a rough layout of the Vindice prison. Lancia had dictated what he remembered of the prison's higher floors where he and the others had been kept, and Fran, who had a surprisingly steady hand, had drawn the rough blueprint.

"Shoichi and I were discussing some changes that could be made to the plan," said Gokudera. "May I present them at this time?"

Tsuna nodded, calming under his friend's formal behavior. Gokudera seemed to know exactly how to act in these situations. As long as no one insulted Tsuna, Gokudera would explain the plan perfectly. And even if someone said something against Tsuna, Takeshi would help calm Gokudera down and snap the bomber back into "formal mode." All Tsuna had to do was sit back and trust his friends.


	40. Examining the Truth

Chapter 40: _Examining the Truth_

While Gokudera pulled out various pieces from his pocket, Takeshi watched the other side of table. The unwavering stare of the old boss, this Vongola Ninth, that settled on Tsuna made Takeshi want to whip out his sword, but Takeshi only rested his hand on the handle of his sword. He could tell from Tsuna's blank face that he shouldn't attack the man across the table unless Takeshi really needed to, but Takeshi wanted to be ready. This Vongola Ninth wasn't an opponent to be underestimated.

"This is a map that was drawn on the specifications given by Draghi Lancia from his recent incarceration and escape from the well-hidden Vendicare," started Gokudera, using his smart tone. Usually Takeshi could barely understand anything that the silver haired teen said when Gokudera used that tone, but since they had gone over some of this stuff earlier, Takeshi had a good guess about what Gokudera would say next. And yes, the silver haired teen did place a small doll-like figure in a blank space right above the amazing drawing of Vendicare that Fran had drawn earlier. Apparently Fran was used to drawing "gameboards" for Byakuran and Irie's Choice games, games which Takeshi barely understood the rules to, but he did understand that the "gameboards" had to be very detailed and specific. So Fran hadn't had trouble following Lancia's instructions in making the Vendicare drawing. If Takeshi remembered correctly, the place where Gokudera had placed the pieces meant anywhere outside the "playing field" or rather a place that wasn't the Vendicare. Gokudera continued the explanation. "Even with all the information that Draghi Lancia was able to provide, we still do not know where the Vendicare is or how it appears on the outside."

"I suppose you have an idea of how to get that information before attempting to infiltrate it," said the man. He looked a lot like the old men who came in to the restaurant sometimes and played Go on their portable board. The man, this boss, had the same intense look as those old men, and for a second, Takeshi thought the man was really Tsuna's grandfather. The thought didn't make sense until Takeshi realized that Tsuna used the same look, especially in that meeting yesterday.

"Tsuna-sama had a plan for that," said Gokudera with a hint of pride. Takeshi almost grinned widely himself. Tsuna might not believe he was very smart, but the small brunette had some ideas that even surprised Hana and Gokudera. The silver haired teen took out a black doll-like figure and placed it in front of the white one. "We will have someone try to negotiate the moroni—Sawada Tamaki's release."

"And what would that accomplish?" said the old boss.

"Originally the plan included someone following them and discovering the location that way," said Gokudera putting a second white piece behind the black one on the blank space. The little figurines had been Irie's idea, claiming that they had been part of that Choice game. Irie insisted that the tactics used in the Choice game could be used in real life since they were based on old army strategies and basic maneuvers, and since the goal changed from game to game along with resources, battlefield, and warriors (Takeshi didn't have clue what all those things meant, but they had sounded important), it could basically be used as the framework for their planning. The game certainly helped them picture the situation, which really helped Tsuna. Takeshi was still lost most of the time though, since he relied a lot on instinct which apparently didn't work well in strategy. A movement caught Takeshi's attention and returned it to the board. Gokudera had picked up the white piece behind the black one and then put a small white rectangle that resembled a camera in between the remaining white piece and the black one. "Shoichi and I decided that a hidden camera with a tracking device would work better. It would lower the risk involved and eliminate the need to put one of our few allies in danger."

Gokudera gave Tsuna a side glance, which Tsuna met with a nod and a relieved expression flickering across the small brunette's face. Tsuna hadn't wanted to send anyone to chase the Vindice, but Hana had convinced him that the information was too important and so someone had to go. Everyone had come to the conclusion that Fon would be the best for the job since the martial art master was small and good at sneaking around. Everyone but Tsuna. Even when Byakuran had suggested that Tsuna give Fon the necklace Augurio so that the martial artist would be completely invisible, Tsuna had said no, orange eyes and all. Tsuna had said that Fon wouldn't work, but he hadn't been able to say why he knew that Fon wouldn't work as the spy. No one could change his mind, so they had left off choosing who would be the spy until later. Apparently, Irie had found a way around the problem.

"Who is this Shoichi?" asked the old boss, still looking directly at Tsuna, but this time Tsuna looked right back.

"Shoichi Irie," said Tsuna with something Takeshi didn't get to hear often in Tsuna's voice. Steadiness and confidence underlined it all through the next few words. "He is responsible for most of the plan."

"Shoichi Irie?" repeated the old boss, and his eyes softened in confusion. "As in the young boy who invented the Box and then proceeded to make a prosperous and exclusive deal with the Gesso _famiglia_?"

The word _famiglia_ startled Tsuna, jerking him back slightly in his chair and causing his jaw to slack open, but Tsuna hastily shifted his expression back to its semi-blank expression. Takeshi sent a quick glare at the old boss who had returned to the intense stare focused solely on Tsuna. Straightening at the hand that lightly smacked the back of the small brunette's head courtesy of Fon, Tsuna once again returned the old boss's stare.

"Irie-kun did invent the Box," said Tsuna calmly, "but he sold it to Byakuran's father's company, not a mafia _famiglia_."

"I heard that name mentioned before as well," said the old boss, and the stare became so heavy that Takeshi could almost feel it even if it wasn't directed at him. "Is this Byakuran a friend of yours?"

"Byakuran is…a sort of friend," said Tsuna slowly. "He wants something from me, but right now he is offering to help rescue Tamaki."

"The Gesso _famiglia's_ heir is offering to help someone? That is surprising," said the old boss with his eyebrows raising, but he didn't look surprised because his face was still too sharp. "And you plan to accept his help despite knowing that he has a hidden agenda?"

"We couldn't complete plan without him," said Tsuna, and a blast of air escaped Takeshi's lips. No wonder Hana didn't want Takeshi to leave Tsuna alone. If she learned that Tsuna had gone outside alone…Takeshi didn't want to think about that. They waited for a minute for the old boss to say something, but he kept his gaze fixed on Tsuna who turned back to Gokudera and nodded. Gokudera continued.

"After finding out the location of Vindicare, we need to decide the form of transportation. The albi—Gesso Byakuran volunteered to supply whichever form of transportation may be needed." Gokudera sent an almost glare at the old boss, as if the offer of transportation proved Tsuna's point about Byakuran. The silver haired could be very stubborn, but unfortunately he always agreed too much with Tsuna. Which was why Hana asked Takeshi to keep close to Tsuna even during Gokudera's "turns." Because a lot of the time Tsuna didn't do what was best for Tsuna.

"Vongola will provide any transportation needed," said the Vongola Ninth, and Takeshi watched Tsuna closely. Tsuna's eyes flashed orange, but they quickly changed back, as if Tsuna was hiding them. Gokudera waited for another signal from Tsuna, but Tsuna had decided to return the old boss's unmoving gaze. Takeshi caught Gokudera's flickering green eyes and then gave a pointed look to the drawing. The silver teen scowled and glared at Takeshi, but Gokudera placed a solid white block slightly outside the boundaries of the drawing.

"We will station the transport as close to the Vendicare as possible without being detected, which should not be difficult if we take advantage of Kawahira's abilities."

"Kawahira?" interrupted the Vongola Ninth. "The illusionist we have stationed in Namimori? He is under orders not to show himself to anyone connected to the Sawada family. And he is limited to the Namimori area."

"Why is he limited to the Namimori area?" asked Tsuna, once again barely holding back the orange tone. The old boss didn't say anything for a moment, and Gokudera's green eyes kept flashing back to Tsuna. Takeshi took the moment to study the other man across the table and blinked when he met hard honey brown eyes. The young swordsman had taken for granted that the blond stranger that had accompanied the kid and the old boss would be paying attention to the drawing or Tsuna, not Takeshi. With a grin that didn't reach his eyes, Takeshi returned the glare. If Tsuna wasn't going to back down, neither was Takeshi. Tsuna didn't like the blond man, so Takeshi didn't need another reason not to trust the blond stranger.

"So would you like to show us the rest of the plan?" said the old boss, and Takeshi resisted the urge to look at the Vongola Ninth. The old boss made it hard to look anywhere else but him. Tsuna tensed, causing the chair beside Takeshi to creak. Takeshi would have to tell his old man about that chair. A customer might complain about the creak later. Tsuna must have gestured at Gokudera to hurry and finish, because that's what Gokudera did. Takeshi heard the muffled clicks that followed the placing of pieces on the drawing, but Takeshi kept his eyes on the glaring blond man.

"Shoichi will remain in the transport along with Kawahira who will keep the transport hidden, and Shoichi will use the cameras to direct Tsuna-sama, swo—Yamamoto Takeshi, Byakuran, Fran, the two arcobaleno, and I as we enter the first level of Vendicare. In the best case scenario, the negotiator with the Vindice will discover the exact level that Sawada Tamaki is, but if not, Shoichi's semi-mobile cameras should pinpoint his whereabouts. We will head for whichever level Sawada Tamaki is on and once we know exactly which cell he is in, the two arcobaleno will split off and distract the guards as we release him. Our primary exit strategy is to retrace our steps, while the arcobaleno keep that path clear. However, Draghi Lancia mentioned a cell on the first level whose floor was hollowed out with a tunnel that Rokudo Mukuro planned to use should he ever be recaptured that tunnel could act as alternate route should the main entrance becomes too guarded in response to the commotion and so is our secondary exit strategy."

"Your plan is entirely too dependent on the idea that you can sneak past the Vendice on the way in. No one escapes the Vindice's notice," said the old boss bluntly. The honey brown eyes flickered off Takeshi to send a questioning look to the side at the Ninth Vongola, but the old boss lifted his hand slightly as if to cut off any comment from the blond man. So the old boss only looked like he was entirely focused on Tsuna. The old boss was paying attention to the rest of them too. Takeshi's old man could keep an eye on everything while looking like he wasn't too. Tsuna could also do that sometimes, when his eyes became tinted orange. Someday, Takeshi had to learn how to do that.

"We have a way," said Tsuna calmly.

"Oh, and what would that way be?" asked the Ninth Vongola.

"Why is Kawahira limited to the Namimori area?"

The two questions hung in the air, and since the blond man had started to pay attention to the conversation, Takeshi glanced at Tsuna. The small brunette's back was completely straight, and the brown eyes (normally they would have definitely turned orange by now) stayed firmly on the old boss across the table. But Takeshi could see Tsuna's knuckles turning white as his fingers curled into tight, almost shaking fists. Takeshi put his most carefree grin and gazed back across the table.

"It's only fair, right?" said Takeshi lightly, as if it was obvious. "Tsuna's told you a lot already. It's not fair if you don't tell us anything back."

The piercing light brown gaze finally broke away from Tsuna to fall on Takeshi. Takeshi's lungs squeezed, and his grin shriveled. Takeshi couldn't move. That gaze raked over and examined him, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning back and wanting to get away from it. It noticed his movement, and the danger emanating from those hard brown eyes increased, as if it had found an opening and would use it to slice at its opponent-_Takeshi_-to pieces.

"My heir is in a high level prison due to a deal made in his name without consent," the Vongola Ninth said in a tone that sounded both business-like and deadly. "As I said at the start this is your mistake. If you cannot convince me that you will take responsibility for the mistake and successfully correct it, then I will take care of it myself."

"How?" asked Tsuna, provoking the gaze to fall back onto him. Takeshi's lungs expanded again, taking in all the air that had been pressed out under that stare.

"He'll use Vongola resources," said Fon calmly, but it wasn't as calm as usual. The martial art master held himself both tight but loose. Takeshi knew from watching Tsuna's lessons with Fon (the few times Takeshi was allowed to watch) that that pose was the most deadly. But the gaze remained on Tsuna, and Fon had no reason to attack. "But that use will come with a price."

"I will take Tamaki back with me to Italy," said the Ninth Vongola.

"No," said Tsuna, the orange flashing strongly across his irises, but it disappeared quickly. Takeshi watched the old boss's gaze flicker to the kid sitting next to the Ninth Vongola. The kid wore an open smirk, and the Ninth Vongola looked back at Tsuna. "Tamaki isn't ready."

The old boss's eyes changed from their still stare and raked over Tsuna, as if he were a fish that needed to be cut in the right place. Tsuna remained straight and firm under the probing eyes. A small smile formed beneath the now softening eyes.

"Kawahira is limited to the Namimori area both by his own request and to prevent assassins and other Mafiosos not associated or approved by Vongola from entering Namimori. We didn't want a repeat of the February incident seven years ago."

"Nono—" started the blond man, but the Ninth Vongola lifted his hand again and cut the blond stranger off.

"We have another illusionist that will come with us and mask our presence," said Tsuna after a beat of silence and a silent question and answer session with the kid. Takeshi was relieved to see that even across the table, the kid was still on Tsuna's team and not the old boss's.

"Not many illusionists can fool the Vindice," said the old boss.

"Fran is not a normal illusionist. And I have insurance."

"Insurance?" asked the old boss, his eyes narrowing again.

"Does the plan meet your approval?" countered Tsuna. The old boss sighed, and the small smile returned. The light brown eyes rounded and crinkled at the edges.

"Depends," said the Ninth Vongola. "Who is your negotiator with the Vindice?"

At the question, Tsuna slumped a little, and his eyes went from firm to a little jittery, like as if he had been asked to use a pitch he hadn't learned to do yet. The kid's black eyes commanded Tsuna to straighten from across the table, but Tsuna wasn't paying attention. Tsuna's fists opened and closed under the table as Tsuna tried to make his back straight again, but his back leaned too forward and his shoulders stayed slumped.

"Gokudera said it should be someone high ranked in Vongola and...so Yamamoto-san couldn't do it and then we thought…I didn't asked him yet, but maybe Reborn could do it but then…maybe you…would you do it for us? Reborn was there when Tamaki was taken, so they might not believe him. But the Vindice would believe you."

The words came out shakier than the rest, and the kid on the other side of the table didn't look happy, but Takeshi smiled. Tsuna hadn't liked the idea of asking the kid to talk to the Vindice, mostly because even if Tsuna didn't realize it, he wasn't comfortable around the kid yet. And Tsuna didn't like asking for things, even from people he was close to. But he had asked the old boss to help them, so this Vongola Ninth must not be that bad a guy, though he sure had a mean gaze. Takeshi wondered if Tsuna would have that kind of gaze someday.

"I intended to meet with the Vindice," said the old boss. "Carrying a small camera would not change the course of that meeting."

Tsuna's slumped shoulders lifted, as did his head and back, and Tsuna regained a more relaxed version of his former stance. A small smile lit his lips, and the words that slipped between them lifted the invisible heaviness in the room.

"Thank you, Vongola Nono."

* * *

><p>Overall, the teens' performance in the "unofficial" meeting had surprised Timoteo with its professionalism. Tsunayoshi had defended his case clearly and calmly without showing disrespect (though the fact the boy had looked down during much of the initial conversation had disconcerted Timoteo despite knowing the Japanese tendency to consider eye contact disrespectful, especially considering the unmistakable flash of orange that had appeared late in the conversation). Several of Timoteo's verbal tactics had not thrown the boy as they would have men twice his age and experience. And when the boy had faltered, the other teen (Yamamoto Takeshi according to Reborn's report) had silently and subtly encouraged Tsunayoshi. The second time Tsunayoshi had been backed into a tight spot, in entered Smokin' Bomb Hayato, the well-known loose cannon. Upon seeing the situation his friend was in, the Smokin' Bomb had quickly adopted a professional manner and distracted from Tsunayoshi's momentary weakness. The three had worked together in fashion that some <em>famiglias<em> couldn't even after years of working together, the pattern from earlier in the conversation repeating itself, and Timoteo had been impressed that both Tsunayoshi and the young Yamamoto had held up under his harshest scrutiny (though one better than the other) and that the Smokin' Bomb had managed to go through the entire meeting without losing his temper.

The plan itself was not terrible. Timoteo had seen worse from his own strategists. Under Ganauche, the strategies that the Vongola strategists usually made were undeniably sound. But on occasion one or two of the strategists became ambitious and requested that Timoteo view a plan that Ganauche had not verified. Those plans tended to make Timoteo consider giving his lightning guardian a raise for having to slog through such poorly thought-out strategies. However, Timoteo didn't think the teens' plan fell under that category. Ganauche probably would have presented it as a low-probability alternative plan, one that could work but should only be used should no other ideas present themselves. Too many variables were unknown, and the teens hadn't prepared a single contingency plan (Timoteo did not consider an alternate exit based solely on the word of an ex-convict a true contingency plan). One mistake, one unaccounted for danger, and the teens' plan would fall to pieces. Unfortunately, Timoteo could not send for Ganauche, since none of his guardians could know of the situation. The less who knew of the twin Vongola heirs, the more chances Timoteo could keep his promise to Iemitsu.

A frown appeared and pulled down the edges of his mustache as Timoteo considered the truth behind Reborn's words and the possibility that the CEDEF leader had willingly or ignorantly led Timoteo into making the wrong choice concerning Vongola's heir. While the teen had a long way to go, Tsunayoshi was already showing the signs of being a strong leader with a strong dying will (the flash of orange could mean little else). However, Timoteo decided to reserve judgment until he had met Tamaki. Perhaps the other twin had even more potential. So first, the teens' plan needed to be executed.

"So when have you decided to put this plan into action?" asked Timoteo, watching the teens closely. The Smokin' Bomb had sat down after explaining the plan and jerked harshly under the question, while Yamamoto Takeshi gazed questioningly at Tsunayoshi.

"Three days," said Tsunayoshi quietly. The answer made a small smile tug at Timoteo's lips. Not a hint of hesitation had colored those words.

"You should make it a week," said Timoteo. The teen's brown eyes nearly met Timoteo's in their surprise. "If what I heard from Reborn is correct, you are still recovering from a procedure that Dr. Shamal administered two days ago. Any sooner and you might suffer from side effects that would cause you to endanger the mission and those involved. It would be better to wait and give a chance for any side effects to pass."

"But Tamaki—"

"Tamaki would not benefit from a plan gone wrong due to exhaustion," said Timoteo, infusing his words with authority. The teen needed to learn to listen. Immediately, the brown eyes disappeared behind brown bangs. Timoteo let out a soundless sigh.

"I understand," said Tsunayoshi in a tight voice that couldn't fully pass for professional. He quickly got up from his seat and pushed it away from the table as he bowed, the storm arcobaleno vacating his shoulder to keep from falling off. "Please excuse me."

"Where do you think you're going, Dame-Tsuna?" asked Reborn darkly. Timoteo refrained from allowing an amused grin to overcome his lips. He wondered if his old friend really believed that Timoteo hadn't seen the hitman directing Tsunayoshi from the other end of the table.

"I have a promise to keep," said the teen, not turning around. The hitman snorted.

"If you think you're leaving with only your negligent master, than you're more of an idiot than I thought you were, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. The hitman leapt onto the table and with his glare alone made the teen turn back towards the table. "Come here."

Hesitatingly, the teen obeyed, and in one jump, the hitman landed on the boy's head.

"So where're you going?" asked Yamamoto Takeshi with a loose grin that had yet to drop from the Japanese teen's face. Timoteo had seen enough to know that he probably didn't want to see what the young swordsman looked like without that grin.

"I promised to visit Hibari in the hospital," said Tsunayoshi. Yamamoto Takeshi's grin stretched wider.

"That sounds like a great idea. We should go visit him too, right, Gokudera?"

"Don't talk to me so casually, sword freak," The Smokin' Bomb mumbled in a manner entirely different to how he had acted when he was explaining the teens' plan. "Of course I'm going with Tsuna-sama."

"But Hibari doesn't like—" Tsunayoshi started.

"Maa, I don't think he would mind if we come with you," said Yamamoto Takeshi getting up and throwing an arm around Tsunayoshi's shoulders. "And if he does get annoyed, then he'll just bite us to death, right?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Tsunayoshi mumbled.

"I doubt my nephew is in much of a position to bite anyone to death," said the storm arcobaleno from his current perch on the Smokin' Bomb's shoulder. The half-Italian appeared a bit uncomfortable with the martial artist's choice of seating but did nothing to push the storm arcobaleno off.

"Wow. I didn't know that you were Hibari's uncle," said Yamamoto Takeshi.

"He doesn't like to acknowledge me as such," said the storm arcobaleno. "Now I believe we were headed to the hospital."

"I really don't think Hibari will be happy with so many visitors," said Tsunayoshi. The hitman on his head gave the teen a light kick (at least light for Reborn), earning a squeaked "ow" from the teen.

"You should be happy when your _famiglia_ wants to spend time together, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.

"They're my friends," said Tsunayoshi firmly. "Not my _famiglia_."

"Not if you are to become the Vongola Decimo," said Reborn, which made an already tense Iemitsu stiffen further and distract Timoteo from the exiting teens. The blond man had held very little of the Ninth's attention during the discussion despite the two interruptions since Timoteo had been focused on the teens across the table, but Timoteo had noticed the growingly tension in his outside advisor. Timoteo had expected the blond man to step in once or twice when Timoteo might have been pressing Tsunayoshi too hard, but the blond hadn't said one word to alleviate the pressure off his son nor made any gesture to indicate that the blond man thought that Timoteo had gone too far. Considering the known overprotectiveness of the CEDEF leader, there should have been at least one outburst.

"Iemitsu," said the Ninth calmly. "What is your take on this situation?"

"That," said Iemitsu in a growl, "is not my son."

* * *

><p>Three plates had broken, four cups lay cracked in the sink, and a few spoons had fallen onto the floor and come to rest under the sink. Overall, the reaction had been less…violent than Tsuyoshi expected. The casualties to his dining set had been caused by a shaky grip and not angry throws. But as Nana turned off the faucet, Tsuyoshi knew that he needed to step in before more of his kitchen encountered a similar fate.<p>

"The kitchen's plenty clean now," he said with the signature Yamamoto grin. "What do you think the boys would like best for dinner? It has been a while since I made Bluefin tuna sushi for the boys. I might have enough for a dozen. Usually I don't make that much unless it's a paying party, but I think this occasion deserves an exception."

"Occasion?" said Nana, her voice both lighter and darker than usual. It was too high-pitched and hollow for the sound to be truly cheerful. "It is that, isn't it? He's back. Iemitsu's back, and he brought his boss from work. He's never brought his boss before. I should make a huge feast for them."

"But what'll I do with the Bluefin tuna in the back? It might spoil if I leave it too long," said Tsuyoshi.

"Maybe I should try to some Italian dishes in honor of our guest," said Nana.

"Sorry, but I don't allow Takeshi to eat anything with foreign names," said Tsuyoshi. "Mako worried it would steal his love for Japanese culture."

"But Iemitsu does love Japanese dishes, and he doesn't get to eat them when he's gone for work at…at wherever he works," she continue to chatter in that hollowly light way.

"He works in Italy," said Tsuyoshi almost casually. "He came with the Vongola Ninth and the sun arcobaleno, so his work must have something to do with the Vongola _famiglia_. It would explain why Tamaki was chosen as the Vongola Decimo despite the distant bloodline. Though there is that rumor that the Vongola boss ring rejects anyone outside the Vongola blood. But your husband's work with the mafia would still any worries the mafia world in general would have about your sons' Japanese heritage."

"It would make sense," she said airily. "Which means that I'd best make Italian cuisine then."

"Then I'll make the Bluefin tuna sushi for the boys," said Tsuyoshi. Nana nodded vaguely as she gathered a pot and some pans. He hadn't known she had memorized the locations of the cooking instruments. Maybe it was some six sense that all great chefs had? Tsuna had the same ability to locate everything in the kitchen no matter where Tsuyoshi moved his cookware.

"It's been a while since I made anything from Iemitsu's home country," said Nana, a vacant smile painted on her face. "Good thing I bought that international recipe book."

"I'm afraid that any book you bought is probably buried under the remnants of your house."

"Oh. That's right. It is," said the woman. The smile remained painfully in place. "Then I guess I'll have to do my best from memory. I think I can make spaghetti without a recipe, though I'm afraid it might come out more like yakisoba."

"That's what we used to call it, back when Mako didn't want to feed Takeshi any foreign food, 'western-styled fried noodles'," said Tsuyoshi watching as the woman let a pan too close to the edge of a counter. The wide pan clattered to the floor.

"Oops. I'm sorry. I'll get it," said Nana, reaching down to get the dropped pan.

"Allow me," said Tsuyoshi. He bent down quickly to grab the pan, his hand touching the pan at the same instant as the woman's. Shadowed brown eyes strained to fill the empty smile, and Tsuyoshi mentally added another tally to a certain blond Italian's tab. Gently, Tsuyoshi took the pan out of the woman's shaking hand. He placed the pan on the floor and took the hand in his. Vaguely he wondered what Mako would say to this woman whose life was being overturned by a man that acted the part of a lover but not the part of a husband. A man whom she loved despite everything and didn't want to lose. But one who had endangered her children, who she might just love more. Tsuyoshi guided her into a standing position and then to a nearby stool, wishing with all his heart that his Mako were still alive. This is not a conversation that a man should need to deal with, but he could not leave the woman who had acted like a mother to his son and was the mother of a boy he considered a son in such a state.

"I'm fine," said Nana, taking her hand out of his and waving him away. "I can be a bit clumsy, that's all. I used to be as bad as Tsuna when I was younger."

"That boy can fall over nothing," said Tsuyoshi, going to grab two cups and a warm drink. "But I don't think that has anything to do with your hands shaking. Your shaking hands probably have more to do with the man outside."

The woman stiffened and looked down, hiding her eyes behind her hair in a way that was not unlike her son.

"He's here to get Tamaki back," said Nana in low almost inaudible tone. Tsuyoshi nodded as he boiled some water. If he remembered correctly, the woman liked green tea and had made it for Tsuyoshi and Fon once. Mako hated tea and would have probably offered her Yuzu juice instead. How many arguments had they gotten into as a young couple over how the Yuzu juice was or wasn't supposed to be a beverage? He had lost count of how many times he had insisted that Yuzu juice was to be used to make sashimi and nothing else. Mako always insisted that she could drink whatever she wanted. She hadn't given up until he had conceded and bought her Yuzu juice for her own personal use. "I…I want to believe him."

"Believe him?" said Tsuyoshi, snapping out of the pleasant memories. Mako would not have wanted his mind wandering off in this conversation. Even if it had been years since he could think of Mako with a smile instead of tears. Nana was here, and she needed him. "Why wouldn't you?"

"He…he came with Reborn," said Nana. "And that man. The one who's his boss and Reborn's…Reborn's Ninth."

"Yes, he came with Reborn's Ninth," said Tsuyoshi, recalling the conversation they had had hours before. Had it only been this morning that he had explained to this woman the basics of the mafia? And now the woman's absentee husband had come and decided to do his job as a father and husband and check on his family. Tsuyoshi didn't need to ask to know why Nana had not called her husband or made plans to contact him when Tamaki was taken. The numerous glances at the phone and the hesitation that would cross the brown eyes and end in pain told Tsuyoshi everything he needed to know about why the woman didn't call her husband. She doubted Iemitsu would come, and she didn't want to face that possibility.

"This whole time he was working in other places, providing for our family…he was really working for the mafia," said Nana. "When he didn't come home and was…wasn't where he said he was because he was taking care of…of his other family."

Tsuyoshi remained quiet, waiting for the water to boil to pour into the teapot and for the woman on the stool across the counter to finish making the connections. Steam rose from the pot, and Tsuyoshi took it off the stove and carefully tipped the scalding liquid into the ceramic teapot.

"I believed Tsuna," she whispered as the man put the teapot between them. "He told me he would get Tama back, and I believed him. But…but I couldn't believe my own husband."

"The difference is that I doubt your son has ever truly let you down," said Tsuyoshi, a fond smile twisting his lips. Tsuna was a very reliable boy. "And if he had, it would have been because he is still just a child, not because he chose to."

"But Iemitsu...Iemitsu's taken care of us," said Nana, and Tsuyoshi poured the tea into cups. Nana wrapped her fingers around her cup automatically, as if seeking warmth from the object. "We've never needed for anything, not even after the hospital bills. He's always made sure we're alright."

"A man's job is to provide for his family," Tsuyoshi conceded. He restrained from grabbing her hand again. She seemed so lost. In the last few weeks Tsuyoshi had come to know the woman, she had exuded a calm aura that put those around her at ease. Earlier, she had shown her determination to help her children that rivaled any resolve Tsuyoshi had ever seen. She had listened carefully when he had explained about the mafia and had hidden her fear well. Only months of watching her eldest had made Tsuyoshi able to see her terror, her desire to wrap her arms around her eldest and never let go. He hadn't commented on it, because she had not allowed him to. When he finished, she had set breakfast on the table and had gone to bring the children down. She had returned downstairs with her calm smile and a child attached to each arm. Tsuyoshi could see where Tsuna got is horrible habit of not showing what he really felt. Nana was a woman too used to standing on her own, two feet, only leaning on her eldest son when it became too much. Her first instinct was to ignore what was bothering her and continue on, not allowing anyone to see her weakness and worry. Which was why her visible fragility urged Tsuyoshi to go into the next room and punch the blond man hard enough to knock some sense in the woman's so-called husband. Instead, Tsuyoshi put the cup to his lips and let a gulp of tea flow down his throat and soothe his anger enough to continue his words. "Your husband has done part of his job, but a man has to provide more than a house and food and other necessities. He has to provide himself too."

"Himself?" she whispered.

"My Mako warned me that if I was to marry her, I had to be there for her, that she would not survive long without me next to her," said Tsuyoshi, his voice softening. He set the cup down and stared at the dark brown liquid as if it would swirl and show him his beloved Mako. "It sounded a little selfish at the time. I didn't understand, not until she was gone, that she was asking for my sake as much as her own. She didn't want me to miss our moments, like the opening of this shop, the birth of Takeshi, the boy's first steps, the times we would have our bed invaded by a little imp frightened of the dark. I have always had a tendency to get caught up too easily in my work, and she didn't want me to miss anything.

"Not that she lied. She wouldn't have been able to raise our son alone, though Takeshi was practically a little angel when Mako was with him. Even if she hadn't sacrificed herself, she would have needed me. And there are times when I still need her. Raising a child cannot be a one-person job. If it weren't for the help of a few fellow shopkeepers, I would never have lasted this long. I loved Mako with all my heart, and I knew when I agreed to be there for her that things wouldn't be easy. But my Mako was a wise woman, and I never regret making that promise. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been the husband she deserved."

"Your Mako sounds like a wonderful woman," said Nana. A flimsy smile quivered on her lips as her fingers clutched the ceramic cup harder. "She deserved such a wonderful husband."

Slowly, Tsuyoshi reached across the table and placed a hand on her tense wrist, and the grip on the cup loosened slightly as Nana looked up at him. He gently squeezed the wrist and gave her his softest grin.

"I'm sure she would say the same about you," said Tsuyoshi, slightly enjoying the awestruck surprise that rippled across the woman's features. He had not seen that expression on either Sawada's face, and somehow he doubted that Tsuna or his mother donned such an expression often.

"Get your hands off my wife."

Tsuyoshi gave Nana's wrist one last quick squeeze before turning to face the angry blond Italian. Tsuyoshi's grin grew sharp but held an irritating amused quirk as he mentally compared the blond's glare to Tsuna's occasional hard orange gazes. Tsuna did not inherit his ability to intimidate others from Iemitsu if that flimsy glare was all that the blond was attempting to use.

"Get away from her," the blond continued. Tsuyoshi's grin didn't drop.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll make you."


	41. Family Views

Chapter 41: _Family Views_

A chill whipped past Tsuna, as if the heat had suddenly changed into ice. He didn't know what it could mean, except that since the heat normally warned when something dangerous or bad was happening or about to occur, perhaps something good was taking place. Tsuna slightly shook his head, because he shouldn't be thinking such ridiculous thoughts. Not when he was in the vicinity of his tu— his brother's tutor. If Reborn could really read thoughts (like Tsuna had a terrible feeling the hitman could) then it wouldn't be good for his already sore head.

"So why's Hibari in the hospital?" asked Takeshi.

"Weren't you listening, sword freak?" demanded Gokudera. "Tsuna-sama fought with him and trashed him so badly that man had to go to the hospital."

"I don't think it was our fight," said Tsuna trying to stop the argument that looked about to start.

"It does sound strange for my nephew to stay still this long no matter what his injuries," said Fon from the bomber's shoulder. "He doesn't like being tied down, like his mother."

"His mother?" said Tsuna quietly. He couldn't imagine Hibari having a mother. The prefect was so violent and scary that he made it hard for people to remember that he was human, and the idea of Hibari having a mother sounded too strange and impossible. But even Hibari had to have a mother, and Tsuna wanted to know more about the prefect. Because he didn't want to think about…No, because he wanted to know more about his friends. One never knew when he might not have the chance anymore.

"It would be better to talk about that later," said Fon, his lips twisted into a reassuring smile that didn't distract Tsuna from the pain flashing through the black eyes. "For right now, my guess would be something or someone is keeping Kyoya in place."

"Like what?" asked Takeshi. "Did someone tie him up?"

"That's not possible," said Tsuna. He pitied any soul who tried. If the person got out with his life, then he was lucky.

"As a mafia boss, you need to consider all possibilities," said Reborn from his position on Tsuna's head. Tsuna sighed, but he didn't say anything. He doubted that anything he said would change the hitman's mind. If they got Tamaki back…when they got Tamaki back, Tsuna would continue to correct the hitman. Tsuna had already tried once today, and while the hitman hadn't mentioned Tamaki…

"But Tsuna isn't a mafia boss," said Takeshi. "Right, Gokudera."

"Of course. Tsuna-sama can be whatever he wants to be," said Gokudera. Tsuna stared at the bomber, wondering why the heat didn't flare before remembering that if someone believed something, he would view it as truth. An uncomfortable weight entered Tsuna's chest. Tsuna didn't deserve that belief.

"Ah, to be young and naïve," mumbled Reborn. Tsuna hoped he was the only one who could hear the hitman, but since Fon gave the hitman a subtle glare, Tsuna didn't think so.

"May I help you?" asked the nurse behind the hospital front desk. She looked at them only to pale and jerk backwards. "D-do you n-need to v-visit someone? B-because a-age doesn't really matter anymore—"

"Hibari Kyoya," said Reborn, and even if Tsuna couldn't see the hitman, the small brunette had a sinking suspicion that the hitman was smirking. What Reborn had done to get that response, Tsuna didn't want to know. At the name, the nurse had paled further, becoming a shade of white Tsuna didn't even know was possible.

"H-he's not to be disturbed," said the nurse, scanning the area back and forth as if scared that the name would summon its owner. It wasn't a completely irrational fear, since it had been known to happen. There was a reason that none of the Namimori Middle students said the head prefect's name too loud.

"Not even by his friends," said Reborn in a way that probably included a cute pout. The image floated across Tsuna's mind before Tsuna promptly squashed it. He didn't want to picture about his tu…his brother's tutor pouting, whether it was an act or not. It seemed so wrong.

"Hibari-san doesn't have friends," said another nurse as she walked behind the counter and stood next to the paling nurse. "You can go, Tomoko."

"But Shigeko—" the paling nurse protest, but one look from the second nurse and the first nurse got up and shuffled away.

"Now, how may I help you?" asked the second nurse, Shigeko.

"We came to visit Hibari," said Takeshi with his bright grin.

"Like Tomoko said, he is not to be disturbed," said the nurse.

"Is he okay?" asked Tsuna. The nurse turned to him and gave him a scrutinizing look.

"You're the boy Hibari-san wanted me to keep tabs on that time," said the nurse. She opened a drawer and picked up a file and flipped it open. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, correct?"

"Y-yes," said Tsuna hesitatingly. A sudden sharp pain on his head made him regret the slight stutter.

"Let me see if you can visit him," said the nurse, turning to enter an office behind the counter. "I'll be right back."

"Hey, isn't that the nurse that was watching over Tsuna last time?" asked Takeshi.

"Che, that stupid woman didn't let me stay with Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera, sending a glare at the office door.

"I thought Haru was 'stupid woman.' Are you running out of nicknames for people, Gokudera?" asked Takeshi.

"There not nicknames, sword freak!" cried Gokudera.

"They sound like nicknames to me," said Takeshi. "Maybe we should come up with one for Gokudera, Tsuna."

"Don't infect Tsuna-sama with your stupidity," growled Gokudera.

"There's 'idiot monkey,' but that's Hana's nickname and I don't think we should steal it," said Takeshi. "But if you like the nickname then I guess we could use that one."

"That's not a nickname, it's an insult!"

"Please keep your voices down," said the nurse, back behind the counter.

"You heard her, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.

"I didn't say anything," said Tsuna.

"A boss is always responsible for their subordinates," said the hitman.

"Enough," said Fon, sending a quick glare at the hitman. He leapt onto the counter right in front of the nurse. "Kyoya is my nephew. May I be allowed to see him?"

"Usually, family is permitted under any circumstance, but Hibari-san is not a very good patient," said Shigeko as she typed on a computer tucked under the other side of long wood counter separating them from the nurse. "He only stays at the hospital long enough to heal when we promise to give him a private room and allow him to nap or play a game with his fellow patients."

"Game?" Tsuna asked nervously. Whatever "game" Hibari liked to play probably wouldn't end well for his opponent.

"Unfortunately the head of the hospital board wants us to do whatever we can to keep him here when he actually comes to the hospital with injuries," said Shigeko, as she pulled out some papers. "Since Hibari-san has a terrible habit of running off before being fully healed, we need to do our best to keep him entertained."

"Entertained?" said Tsuna, a bad feeling that had nothing to do with the heat settle into his stomach. "Then…what is the game?"

"The game is simple. Make no noise and allow Hibari to nap or pay the consequences," said the nurse as she set a few papers in front of Fon and Tsuna. "If you fill these out, you may visit Hibari. I cannot refuse blood relatives access."

"So I can go with him?" asked Tsuna as he realized that she had handed him the papers too.

"You ask a lot of questions," said the nurse, before she pointed to Fon with a pen. "If he's your uncle, then I assume you're Hibari's cousin. He did claim to be your uncle last time you were here. Is he your uncle or not?"

"Um…y-yes?" said Tsuna, earning another sharp kick. He really wished that the hitman had stayed in Italy. They could have adjusted the plans to use someone else instead. But then the Ninth was here, so they might not need Reborn as the main distraction. Tsuna tucked the thought away and determined to talk to Irie about the possibility the first chance he got.

"You two have to stay out here," said the nurse, waving the pen in Takeshi and Gokudera's direction.

"What about him?" asked Tsuna, pointing to Reborn.

"I can't refuse access to doctors," said the nurse. Before Tsuna could ask what she meant, Reborn had hopped off Tsuna's head in a doctor's white coat and a stethoscope around the hitman's neck.

"Thank you, nurse," said Reborn in a marginally deeper voice. "So in which room is the patient being held?"

"Room 118," said Shigeko.

"And his attending physician?" asked the hitman adjusting a clipboard that had appeared in his hands. How could the woman believe Reborn was a doctor? He was less than three feet tall!

"Technically, I am," said Shigeko. "He won't deal with anyone else. You're welcome to monitor his progress if he'll let you come close."

"I will," said Reborn. "Come blood relatives."

The nurse quirked a brow at the reference, but she didn't say anything else. Giving both Takeshi and Gokudera a small, reassuring smile, Tsuna followed Reborn down the hall after Fon jumped back onto the Tsuna's shoulder. Hopefully, Hibari wouldn't want to play that game with Tsuna. But then Hibari would probably want to fight Tsuna instead. Tsuna considered turning around and making a run for it, but he had made a promise. And…and he was a bit worried about Hibari. If it was true that Hibari hadn't gone to check on Namimori after the commotion the Vindice caused…Tsuna hadn't injured Hibari that much. Had he?

* * *

><p>The punch missed its target by millimeters, but Iemitsu didn't stop to marvel at his opponent's abilities. He threw another punch at the man's face, but that punch was too wide and didn't come anywhere near its target. The older looking sushi chef, the man who had changed Iemitsu's Tsuna and was trying to steal Iemitsu's wife, had gotten across the room and snatched a knife off the counter. The next punch was blocked by the flat of the knife.<p>

"I suggest you stop," said the man. Dark hazel eyes glittered as sharply as the knife that underlined them. "I don't think I can hold back."

"Then don't," said Iemitsu, pushing his fist harder to move the knife closer to the other man's face. The knife didn't budge.

"If you survive," the man said as the hazel eyes hardened. "Please tell Tsuna that I gave you an opportunity to stop."

"Do not mention my son," growled Iemitsu, sending a kick to the man's gut. The man quickly twisted out of the way, and Iemitsu immediately lit his dying will. Another punch headed towards the man's arm, but the man slipped under the arm and thrust the knife at the space in between Iemitsu's sixth and seventh rib. Iemitsu slammed down on the thrusting hand and grabbed at the knife's handle with one of his hands as he used the other to aim another blow at the man's head. The man wrenched the knife back before Iemitsu could come close enough to make contact with his fist and slammed into Iemitsu's liver with an elbow. The blow disoriented Iemitsu enough so that the blond barely managed to avoid the blade as it slashed at Iemitsu's throat. The knife managed to nick Iemitsu's cheek, and the blood trailing down to his chin awoke the realization that this man wasn't a mere sushi chef. He was a killer. Iemitsu's flame intensified. A killer had touched Iemitsu's wife, had manipulated Iemitsu's Tsuna, had gotten Iemitsu's Tama kidnapped. And that killer had to die.

A kick sailed through the air and grazed the killer's head, and Iemitsu sent another punch at the killer's throat while the killer was still dazed. But the killer blocked the punch with the sharp end of the blade, slicing and settling across Iemitsu's knuckles. Iemitsu ignored the burning pain in his hand and launched another punch at the killer's neck. The knife cut deeper into Iemitsu's knuckles, causing enough pain to cause Iemitsu to flinch and delay the punch long enough for the killer to create a space between them. Not wasting any more time, the killer lunged at Iemitsu who responded by lunging forward too. The killer bent slightly more forward than Iemitsu, effectively stooping low enough to use Iemitsu's own forward momentum to push the blade straight torwards Iemitsu's kidneys.

"NO!" cried a voice that broke blurrily into the two men's bloodlust. "STOP!"

The knife halted inches from Iemitsu's stomach, and Iemitsu took the opportunity to throw a fist at the killer's face. Hands wrapped around Iemitsu's arm, but the punch didn't stop. The fist dug under the killer's chin and sent the killer flying across the room.

"Stop! Please!" came the same voice in a terrible choked sob. "Please! Iemitsu, stop!"

"Nana," said Iemitsu in a surprised gasp, the owner of the voice becoming obvious to his head. The wet, red rimmed brown eyes of his wife came into focus before disappearing behind dark brown hair that snuggled into his arm. Slim but surprisingly strong arms had wrapped around his, and he was not able to move it. Moisture met his bicep, but then air cooled it as the brown hair moved away. She walked over to the killer, grabbed the hand with the knife, and carefully took the blood stained blade.

"Are you okay, Tsuyoshi-san?" asked Nana, gently eyeing the area Iemitsu's punch had grazed.

"I'm fine," said the killer with a grin he shouldn't have been able to make and coaxed a small smile from Iemitsu's wife. Iemitsu clenched his fists, wanting Nana to move out of the way so he could eliminate the threat, but he quickly pushed the urge back. "I forgot you were here."

"I know," said Nana, her smile gentling. She turned back to Iemitsu, and her smile strained. "Do you want me to get you a bandage, Iemitsu?"

"Oh, for this?" asked Iemitsu, pointing at the cut on his cheek with his bleeding hand and grinning widely. The smile on his wife's face didn't change. "They're just a scratches. You know we boys like to play hard. I'll be fine."

"Well, let me get a napkin to clean you then," said Nana with her smile widening and easing Iemitsu's increasingly tight stomach. She started moving away from the killer, but the killer grabbed her hand. She turned back, and their eyes met. Iemitsu's clenched fists shook as he saw a silent conversation play out between his wife and another man, a killer. Her shoulders squared, and she looked back at Iemitsu with a strangely firm gaze. "Iemitsu…what were you talking to Tsu-kun and your boss about?"

"Nothing important," said Iemitsu, stepping forward to grab his wife and physically move her away from the killer. "We were just talking about business. My boss was interested in meeting Tsuna and talking to him about what we do. He likes talking to the young. He would have talked to Tama if Tama had been here. Once we get him back, my boss wants to have a long talk with our Tama. I think he might even want take Tama to start learning his business when he gets back. The N-Timoteo likes to start them young when he sees potential. And our Tama has a lot of potential."

"Why Tama? Wouldn't he be interested in Tsu-kun too?" asked Nana, her head cutely tilted to the side and her kissable lips stretching a little too hard in her smile as she sidestepped her husband's approach. The tightness in Iemitsu's stomach grew hot as he glared at the killer. Nana was still in between them, so Iemitsu's hands had to wait before they could encircle the man's neck. "Tsu-kun's gotten pretty smart while you were gone."

"But Tsuna's your son," said Iemitsu with a wide grin that he hoped would convince Nana to let him get close enough to drag her out of the way. "Tsuna wouldn't be happy behind a desk."

"They're both my sons," said Nana in a tone Iemitsu had never heard before. It was sharp and angry with an undercurrent of hurt. Nana had never spoken to Iemitsu that way before. Her smile was twisting into something less like Nana. "And Tama wouldn't be happy behind a desk. He's always been an active child."

"I know," said Iemitsu, darkly. His wife's unwillingness to move and the sudden tone had his temper flaring. He wanted to get to the source of his wife and son's change and eliminate it. Iemitsu wanted his wife to smile her normal smile and have Tsuna give him a hug while Iemitsu told the boy of all the made-up adventures Iemitsu had thought up to tell his family. He wanted Tama to demand to sit next to Iemitsu as the blond told these stories and ask for more until Iemitsu ran out of tales. Iemitsu had long ago learned that he had to work and fight for what he wanted, so he painted on a grin and tried to assure his wife so that she would move. "He won't only be sitting behind a desk."

"Then maybe Tsu-kun would like the job too," said Nana, a parody of her smile on her face. She still stood in front of the killer, and Iemitsu considered shoving her gently to the side. The killer had stood back up and had a blank look on his face, but his dark hazel eyes were hard and sharp. He wanted Nana to step aside too, but he refused to show it. He remained in place while Iemitsu inched forward and tried to move around Nana, leaving Iemitsu with the sole burden of getting them what they both wanted.

"Tsuna wouldn't like it," said Iemitsu, slipping into harried tones. He tried to recover the carefree quality of the earlier part of the conversation, but the sharp, hazel eyes made the effort hard for Iemitsu. "He's too delicate for that kind of high pressure job. Tamaki's much stronge—"

"You're wrong," Nana said, her voice low and shaky. The parody smile was gone and in its place were quivering lips that Iemitsu hadn't seen since Nana's sister died. Back then, she had looked at him with watery eyes, seeking his arms and all the comfort he could give. But those watery brown eyes barely resembled the hard swirling ones that currently held his. "Tsu-kun's very strong. He's grown while you weren't looking. We've been so busy looking at Tama that we forgot Tsu-kun. I know now that it took me too long to see, but Tsu-kun's special. He's strong. He's had to be so strong for so long. He was strong for me, for Tama. Because he…because you…"

The hardness melted, and the eyes that Iemitsu remembered appeared. But they were no longer seeking him, pleading for him to open his arms. They begged for something else, for something…for something...else. Iemitsu mentally cursed, trying to decipher what message could possibly be in his wife's eyes.

"Because you weren't there," said another voice, breaking into Iemitsu's confused attempts to understand his wife. "You were off somewhere else. When was the last time you saw Tsuna or your Tamaki? Two, three years? You haven't called in months. I know, because I have seen Tsuna nearly every day for the last few months, and if you had called, I would know."

"Because my son would come complain to you?" growled Iemitsu, his hands twitching into fists as he imagined them around the killer's throat.

"No," said the killer. The dark hazel eyes glittered with deadly anger. "Tsuna would not have said anything about you. He would have been quiet. Takeshi would have tried to talk to him, and Hana-chan would have demanded to know what was wrong, but he would not have said a word. He would be too scared of unleashing his anger on us."

"Anger?" said Iemitsu, his own voice reaching a lower octave. His whole body trembled in eagerness to push his wife aside and destroy the source of his problems.

"Nana, please leave," said the killer in a soft tone. Iemitsu's fingernails dug deeper into his palm. That tone…this killer had no right to speak to Iemitsu's wife like that. She shook her head jerkily. The killer grinned at her again. "You don't have to worry. I will leave him in one piece."

"No!" Nana said harshly. The word shocked Iemitsu with its force. And he wasn't the only one. The killer stared with wide eyes at Nana. "Enough! You two aren't going to kill each other. You'll play nice until Tama gets back."

"But Nana, darling—" started Iemitsu, hoping to calm Nana's temper. His wife rarely lost her temper, but when she did, no force on earth could oppose her.

"No," she repeated firmly. She stood rigidly, and her tone stayed inflexibly strict. "You will go to the hotel with your boss and stay there."

"But Nana—"

"Now," she said, her breath coming out erratically despite her stern stare. Iemitsu gave his wife one last pleading glance, one full of wide honey brown eyes and a pouting bottom lip. The leader of the CEDEF had only ever used that expression when he and his wife got in one of their rare arguments. It would never fail to get a giggle from Nana and cool her temper. Even now, her hard face crumbled at the expression, and Iemitsu's stomach unclenched at the sight. But the brown eyes tried to convey that something…that something else…and then they hid behind her short bangs in a way that Iemitsu hadn't seen since they first started dating. Iemitsu bent down to see if he could continue the connection, to keep his wife— "Go."

The one word echoed in his mind, but the meaning didn't stick. Iemitsu's Nana would never tell him to go. Iemitsu's Nana would welcome him with open arms and make a huge feast in his honor. She would hum as she cooked and cooked piles of food, and he would sit in the dining room table watching her as she moved around the kitchen in a smooth dance. She would never stop smiling, would laugh at his jokes, and would never push away his cuddling and tell him to stop. This woman that stood in front of him, this woman with a straight back and shadowed brown eyes, she wasn't Iemitsu's Nana. Just like the boy with the hard brown eyes and squared shoulders who didn't stutter cutely in front of strangers and wore the bearing of a leader was not Iemitsu's Tsuna.

"I apologize for my intrusion, but I was wondering what was taking so long," said the Ninth's voice. Iemitsu didn't need to turn around to realize that the Vongola boss stood at the entrance to the door. The two others in the room were looking in that direction, and Iemitsu could sense the old man's flame flickering gently. "Iemitsu came here to tell you that we have booked rooms for you and Tsunayoshi in the hotel where we're staying."

"Hotel? There isn't a hotel near here," said Nana, with that strained smile and closed eyes. "The nearest one is a good 15 miles from here."

"It is," said the Ninth. "But since you have nowhere else to stay until your house is fixed—"

"They can stay here," said the killer. "Tsuna stays over here a lot anyway. And the kids don't mind sharing with Nana. In fact I think they prefer when she's here."

"No, it's Tsuna they're really attached too," said Nana, her smile faltering for an instant.

"They wouldn't call you _Mamma_ if they weren't attached," said the killer, grinning widely. "Though I doubt I could say that Tsuna isn't their favorite big brother. Looks like even Fuuta's adopted him now. Not that I'm surprised. He's a good kid."

"From what I have seen, it would be hard to disagree with you," said the Ninth, now next to Iemitsu. The old man leaned harder on his cane, giving the blond man the subtle but clear order not to move. "I'm afraid that we have to go back to the hotel and make sure our luggage was checked in. Unless you have room for two more here."

"I'm sorry, but with Tsuna and Nana, the kids and Lancia, I don't think my house can hold any more."

"I understand," said the Ninth. "We will return tomorrow to see if we can figure out better arrangements."

"But N-Timoteo—," Iemitsu started, but a hard look from the Ninth left the rest of the words stuck in his throat.

"I know you'd rather stay with your family, Iemitsu, but we can't impose on this man," said the Ninth. "And I believe your son needs to attend school in the morning."

Iemitsu's nails sunk deep enough to bite into his palm, and the blond could barely keep his fingers from drawing blood. He gave the Ninth a short, affirmative nod and marched out of the room. His breath came out sharp and hard, and warmth prickled his eyes as they hadn't for years. Iemitsu almost wished he hadn't come home.

* * *

><p>As silently as possible, Tsuna opened the hospital door. No tonfas met Tsuna's head, so so far so good. No injuries meant that the prefect had yet to be offended by Tsuna's appearance. Hibari didn't usually take "losses" badly, but a loss that put the independent prefect in the hospital was new territory. Reborn leapt off Tsuna's head and strode into the room with an unexplainable confidence. Tsuna quietly followed, but he nearly backed away and left after seeing several unconscious bodies piled in one corner of the room. Whatever game the prefect had been playing had induced casualties, and Tsuna did not want to be among them.<p>

"Hello, Hibari-kun. I'm here for your daily checkup. And these two are here to check to see if you're still alive," said the hitman. Tsuna figured that the smirk that decorated the hitman's face meant that Reborn wanted to see Tsuna's blood spilt. Apparently Tsu…Tamaki's tutor wasn't going to forgive Tsuna's temporary disappearance easily.

Steel grey eyes flicked to Tsuna before the small brunette could disappear onto the other side of the door. But the sharp grey eyes didn't remain on Tsuna. They quickly focused on the figure ridding on Tsuna's shoulder.

"So you decided to stop hiding, carnivore," said Hibari.

"I don't think your mother would mind you calling me 'uncle' or some other form of address, Hi-kun," said Fon, gracefully leaping from Tsuna's shoulder to the chair next to Hibari's bed. Hibari sat on the bed stiffly, a book forgotten in his hand, and his whole body seemed to radiate discomfort. Bandages wrapped around the prefect's head and left arm, causing Tsuna to look elsewhere. He could remember the splintering crack of hard knuckles meeting arm bones and the jarringly loud thump that had ended their duel.

"Do you want to be bitten to death?" asked Hibari in tone that had Tsuna shifting into the _Kaze Ryu's _strongest defense stance. Thankfully, the question was not meant for Tsuna.

"I believe the agreement was that it would be 'Hi-kun' until you managed to defeat me," said the question's intended recipient. Fon gave Hibari a soft smile. "But it appears you cannot even defeat my disciple yet."

"Your disciple is not a full carnivore," said Hibari.

"Hibari, Hibari," chirped Hibird, startling Tsuna. The tiny bird fluttered in from the window and landed on Hibari's shoulder. "Report, report."

The steel grey eyes gave the yellow bird a quick glance, and it puffed itself out more.

"No damage, no damage," cheeped Hibird. "Tetsu, Tetsu."

Hibari grunted, and Hibird's tiny black eyes stared at the prefect. It cheeped a wordless note, but Hibari stared away from it, actually away from anyone. The little puffball seemed to lose its earlier fluff as its feathers tucked in closer to its body, giving it a sleek and somehow defeated look. In a movement so quick that Tsuna wasn't sure it happened, Hibari patted the bird on the head. Hibird immediately puffed back to proper size and fluttered a wing against Hibari's cheek.

"I see you have your mother's taste in pets," said Fon. "I think your father would have eaten the bird rather than tame it as you did."

"It requires quite a bit of patience and care to teach a bird like that," said Reborn in an amused tone. The dangerous gleam that entered the grey eyes didn't distract fully from the further stiffening of the prefect's back.

"I'm sorry for destroying Namimori property," Tsuna blurted. The prefect had too much predator-like grace to look right with the discomfort that had shifted across the prefect's shoulders. "It'll be fixed soon."

The grey eyes were as sharp as ever as they turned to Tsuna, but Tsuna could almost believe that they glittered less dangerously than usual.

"A-and I apologize for the commotion that interrupted Namimori's peace," said Tsuna, shifting his gaze nervously to the doctor in disguise. The slight stutter did not go unnoticed if the hard glint in the hitman's black eyes was any indication. But Tsuna knew stopping now would only worsen the situation. "We're planning to go after the…people responsible soon. Please wait until then before going after them. We need to get my brother back first."

"No," said the prefect. Tsuna shifted and tried to figure out what he could say to convince Hibari, _the_ Hibari, not to go after people who had harmed Namimori.

"They're…They're hard to find," said Tsuna. "And you'd need to leave Namimori. None of the information networks or birds could find these people."

"Tell me where they are, herbivore," said the prefect. "Or I will bite you to death."

"No," said Tsuna before the word fully formed in his mind.

"Herbivores," said Hibari, the word coming out in a sound not unlike a growl, "do not need to protect carnivores."

Tsuna gave a shaky grin and took a deep breath. He really hoped this worked. "I'm not protecting you. They are my prey. They destroyed my house and took my brother, so I need to go after them."

"They destroyed Namimori property and disrupted the peace," said Hibari. "They need to be bitten to death."

"And they will be," said Tsuna. The heat surged through him. "But I will be the one to do it."

"Herbivore, Herbivore," chirped Hibird, flying off of Hibari's shoulder and circling Tsuna's head. It chirped "Herbivore" two more times before landing on Tsuna's head. "Promise, promise."

"What does it want?" asked Fon.

"I don't know," said Tsuna, the heat melting under the strange scrutiny from the two teachers. "It asked me to make a promise to come to the hospital and visit Hibari to apologize and say….oh…."

"You can understand it?" asked Fon. Tsuna gave a hesitant nod, confused. Hadn't his master asked him what the bird meant? "The question was for my nephew. It is his bird."

"Apparently Dame Tsuna's also good with animals," said Reborn, scribbling on a large clipboard that came out of nowhere.

"I-it's not that," said Tsuna, trying to back away. He inwardly cursed at yet another stutter. Any training with the hitman would make torture look pleasant. "Hibird's just a…a smart bird."

"And what did the smart bird tell you, Dame Tsuna?" asked the hitman almost too pleasantly. Innocent was not an expression that suit the hitman. Deciding that it was better to get it over with and that neither teacher was going to give him a break, he bowed low in the prefect's direction.

"Hibirds top three favorite snacks are sunflower seeds, crickets, and…and peppers…I think," said Tsuna. He quickly bowed slightly to hide his moment of uncertainty. The Spartan hitman already had enough ammo. "Thank you very much for the cookies, Hibari."

"Cookies?" asked his master. "What cookies?"

"Leave before I bite you all to death," said Hibari. "You're crowding."

"Interesting that we are crowding now and not earlier," said Reborn.

"We should leave," said Fon, hopping down from the chair. He turned around to face his nephew. "How much longer will you be remaining here?"

"Three days, three days," said Hibird, flying back onto Hibari's shoulder. The prefect appeared to glare at the bird, but the look was a little too soft for a real Hibari glare.

"We'll try to return tomorrow then," said Fon.

"Go back into hiding, carnivore," said Hibari, deliberately looking away.

"I don't think that will happen," said Fon. "It's easier to keep my promise to your mother if I stay close enough to be seen."

Hibari didn't say anything, but Fon's face fell, as if words were spoken that only the martial artist could hear.

"I have failed her. I shouldn't have left," said Fon wearing an expression that Tsuna couldn't reconcile with his normally calm, kind master. His shoulders had sagged downwards, and his whole face seemed pinched with pain and…sad. "No matter what the reason."

"I despise hearing carnivores whine," said Hibari, still looking away. "Leave."

Fon nodded slightly, and Tsuna got the impression that the nod was more for the martial artist's own sake. The expression didn't smooth back to Fon's normal calm, pleasant face. If anything, the martial artist's face had become more pinched and downcast. The heat flared under Tsuna's skin, but the words were already tumbling out of Tsuna's mouth.

"Reborn and me will leave. You stay here, _Shisho_."

The three pairs of eyes turned to Tsuna, and he almost wanted to pretend that he hadn't said anything. But he had, and he wasn't going back now.

"Hibari doesn't like crowds," Tsuna continued, hoping to finish without another threat to be bitten to death. "Two's not a crowd, so Fon-_shisho_ can stay."

"That's an excellent idea," said Reborn. "It is well researched that those who receive longer and more meaningful visits in the hospital tend to heal at twice the rate. If he's allowed to stay here, we should be able to release you the day after tomorrow instead of three days from now."

Tsuna didn't know exactly who the hitman thought he was fooling. The hitman was one foot tall and wearing a doctor's coat and a stethoscope did not make him look anything like an actual doctor.

"I will tell Nurse Shigeko that your uncle will remain here to speed up your healing process, and schedule an appointment for your cousin to visit again tomorrow," said Reborn, making a mark on the sheet containing Hibari's information. "She will continue to be the one in charge of keeping an eye on your vitals as per usual."

"Who are you?" demanded Hibari.

"Dr. Nebor," replied the disguised hitman. The prefect stared at the hitman without any of the rage Tsuna expected to see at the fact that an infant was pretending to be his doctor. And then Tsuna realized that Hibari believed Reborn. His jaw loosened as his mouth fell open before he tried quickly and fearfully to close it again. Who knew what the prefect would do to someone he caught gaping at him. But…but…Hibari _believed_ Reborn. There was something very wrong with this situation. Reborn turned to Tsuna with an amused smirk, and Tsuna stomach turned and the heat boiled and screamed at him to run. "Now we should leave these two alone, Sawada-kun. We have much to discuss."


	42. Final Preparations

Chapter 42: _Final Preparations_

Gokudera's hand twitched next to his right hand pocket where his lighter lay. He knew the moment he took out one of the cigarettes from his left hand pocket he would be thrown out from the hospital and cause trouble for Tsuna-sama. He clenched his hands into fists.

"You want some gum?" asked the sword freak, that same idiotic grin on his face. "My old man offers it to some of our customers since he doesn't let them to smoke inside the restaurant."

"No," said Gokudera, his hand twitching to another hidden pocket. The idiot was asking to have his grin splattered on the sides of the wall.

"Gokudera?" said the sword freak in a whisper. The sword freak wasn't as loud as some of Tsuna-sama's other hang-ons like the cow brat and the stupid wench, but the sword freak rarely spoke as quietly as Tsuna-sama. "Do you think Tsuna's plan will work?"

"Of course," said Gokudera without hesitation. "Are you saying that Tsuna-sama doesn't know what he's doing?"

"No, it's not that," said the sword freak, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. It didn't work very well. "Tsuna would do whatever he can to get Tamaki back."

Gokudera grunted in agreement, but continued to glare at the sword freak. The grin stayed glued on the idiot's face as he reached up to scratch the side of his cheek.

"It's just…Tsuna would do whatever to get Tamaki back," said the sword freak without his annoying cheerfulness. "But he doesn't want us to get hurt either. I think he might have another plan besides the one he's told us."

"Tsuna-sama wants to trade places with the moronic imitation so that the Vindice will never know we broke him out," said Gokudera. The grin slipped a little from the idiot's face before coming back full force.

"So you thought the same thing then."

"Che, don't underestimate me you idiot," said Gokudera with a scowl. "Shoichi has a backup plan in place."

"Backup plan?" asked the sword freak. "You mean he has something other than the little toys' plans?"

"There are not little toys!" cried Gokudera. His hand had become fists without him telling them to. "They were figurines."

"Really? Some of the other kids would play with them back in elementary school."

"They're not toys!"

"And that thing that Irie used looked like a game board."

"It wasn't a game board!"

"Didn't Irie say that he and Byakuran used to play a game with them?"

"It's not a game!" yelled Gokudera, earning a hard look from the idiotic nurse that kept appearing. He glared at her back before returning his attention to the sword freak. The grin on the idiot's face curved widely under sparkling and amused hazel eyes. How dare the sword freak laugh at him! The miniature dynamites unclipped and fell into his hands. The self-lighting fuses needed only a flick to spark to life.

"Sorry, sorry," said the sword freak, holding up his hands again. The grin stayed on the idiot's face and tempted Gokudera to give that needed flick. "I was just trying to say that we need to stay with Tsuna."

"Stay with me when?" asked an all too familiar voice. Tsuna-sama stood looking at them warily from near the desk.

"Until the week finishes," said the sword freak. His grin didn't falter. "Hana still wants us to keep an eye on you. And with the mafia boss and the other guy he brought with him—"

"My father," Tsuna-sama interrupted.

"Hm? What about your father?" said the sword freak, the grin finally falling from his face.

"The other man was my father," said the small brunette. He looked away from them. "I…I wasn't expecting him."

"Didn't your 'master' tell you where I went?" said Reborn.

"I didn't ask…," said Tsuna-sama, before muttering something that sounded like "ouch."

"So the blond man sitting next to the mafia boss was Tsuna's dad?" asked the sword freak. "Why was he with the mafia boss?"

"Tsuna-sama's father is the leader of the CEDEF," said Gokudera, softly. He hadn't realized that the words were spoken out loud until three pairs of eyes stared at him.

"The CEDEF?" said the sword freak. "What's that?"

"A secret intelligence organization independent from the Vongola," said Reborn. "They act as external advisors to the Vongola in times of crises."

"Like Tamaki's kidnapping," said the sword freak. The idiotic grin returned. "I didn't know that your dad was already part of Vongola."

"I didn't either," said the small brunette, his eyes hiding behind his bangs, and Gokudera felt any respect he had learned to hold for the head of CEDEF fade away. The man was no better than the head of the Uragano.

"It doesn't really matter," said Reborn, hopping off of his seat on Tsuna-sama's head. From anyone else, sitting on Tsuna-sama's head would have been a sign of disrespect, but Reborn didn't allow just anyone out of his sight. While Reborn could see what Tsuna-sama could from the small brunette's head, the hitman couldn't see everything the small brunette did. And for a hitman of Reborn's caliber, that action showed great trust. "You have other things to do. You two need to go do them while I watch Dame Tsuna."

"What other things?" asked the sword freak. Gokudera discretely put the mini-dynamites back on their clips, before glaring at the sword freak.

"The Vindice would capture you in two minutes," said the hitman. "30 seconds if you tried to fight back."

"But it should be okay, they won't spot us," said Tsuna-sama. "The plan that Irie-kun and Gokudera made—"

"Plans don't survive contact with the enemy," said Reborn, giving Tsuna-sama an unreadable look. "A boss cannot send out his subordinates expecting the best. He will get them killed."

Tsuna-sama stiffened, and the hitman audibly sighed.

"The Vindice don't kill," said Gokudera.

"No, they imprison," said the hitman. "But some consider the way they imprison worse than death."

Tsuna-sama tensed up further, and wide brown eyes gazed at them full of something that had Gokudera's throat closing up and his hands twitching towards his cigarettes again. That Tsuna-sama could look at him with such concern…

"You're an idiot, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, causing the small brunette's head to snap back towards Reborn. "You can't do it alone. But if you're going to do it, you had better be prepared."

"What do you have in mind, kid?" asked the sword freak, interrupting Tsuna-sama and Reborn's conversation casually. Gokudera grit his teeth together and forced his hands away from his pockets, even if he wanted to teach the sword freak what respect meant, since the idiot obviously had no clue. One did not interrupt conversations between a Vongola boss candidate and the world's greatest hitman. All thoughts quelled when the hitman turned and revealed a vicious smirk.

"Leave Dame Tsuna to me," said Reborn. "And make your own preparations."

* * *

><p>The muscles on Tsuna's arms screamed at Tsuna to let go, but his mind quickly reminded him that letting go was a bad idea with a quick look at the ground. Even the tree tops looked small from this height, and Tsuna didn't want to test and see if Reborn's shining pacifier would "fix" the damage from a fall like that. He also didn't want to pull out his newest Augurio, because the thought of showing it to Reborn brought the heat to a simmer under his skin. The hitman was not in the best of moods, and Tsuna didn't want to do anything to make Reborn angrier. The small brunette was already dangling by his hands from an uneven rock cliff, and while Tsuna couldn't think of how the situation could get worse, he didn't dare underestimate the hitman's imagination. So Tsuna scrambled to find footing on the rough, hard surface.<p>

"You're going too slow," said Reborn, and somehow the hitman's voice carried down easily from his position at the top. "At this rate, you'll fall from exhaustion."

Tsuna promised himself he would never let anyone call Fon's training harsh. The martial artist might be strict, but he never had Tsuna cling for his life to a rock face and try to climb it. He hadn't had too much trouble at first (and plenty of motivation in the form of bullets speeding toward him and urging him upwards), but once he reached the halfway point, he had struggled to retain his hold on the cliff. He could barely think of putting a hand up and pulling himself up. But he had to. Reborn had said that if Tsuna got to the top of the cliff, the hitman would show Tsuna a technique that the first boss of Vongola had used. If Tsuna could learn the technique, then he would much better the chances for the plan to work. The hitman's warning echoed through Tsuna's head. Tsuna couldn't let his friends die to save his brother, or worse.

"I'll give you three more minutes," said Reborn. "Then you'll fall from exhaustion."

Given the way his arms were burning, Tsuna didn't doubt that they would give out in three minutes. But he couldn't give up. He couldn't let his friends down. He couldn't…darkness, unbearable silence, and an ache that chaffed from his wrists and ankles and chest…He couldn't leave Tamaki. His hand let go of the rock and stretch upwards, finding another outcropping on the rock to hang onto. He pulled himself up another inch and let go of his other hand. It caught another hold on the rock, and his feet soon followed, finding their own holds.

"Two and a half more minutes," came the voice from the top of the cliff, that looked as far away as ever. Tsuna took a deep breath, like Fon had always taught. Tsuna needed to do what seemed impossible, and Fon never stopped telling Tsuna that impossible only meant incredibly hard. And Tsuna could do incredibly hard things. He had, every time Fon had introduced a new form, or the times he had fought Hibari and not ended up in the hospital, or when he had gotten his brother back. Not Tamaki, Tsuna hadn't gotten Tamaki back. Tsuna had gotten Tama back. And…and Tsuna would get Tama back again. His hands took turns reaching up and pulling, faster, and his legs followed not slipping once. Tsuna would get Tama back like he promised his mother. She would smile like she used to before the hospital…before that call…before his father…

A rock under his fingers crumbled, and his foot slipped. Images of a strong, broad back walking away, of legs dangling in every direction as the smell of alcohol assaulted Tsuna's nose, of hands spinning Tsuna's little brother up in the air far out of Tsuna's reach and nearly missing the younger brunette as he descended to the ground. The sky broke through the images as it rushed farther away from Tsuna, and he felt his stomach lurch upwards as the rest of his body fell. In an instant, the heat sizzled and flared, clearing Tsuna's head long enough for Tsuna to pull out his glasses from their pocket (he hadn't wanted to use them-Dr. Shamal had given strict instructions). He put them on, the heat condensed and concentrated on his forehead and around his hands. The gloves lit up bright orange. He pumped more heat, more flames as Irie called them, into the gloves like he had during the fight with Hibari. They faltered, flickered weakly as the ground hurried to meet him, but he concentrated, remembered why he was falling, why he had been climbing the cliff, why he couldn't fall and die, or even get hurt. Tama needed him. The flames flared brightly and the ground slowed, or rather he did, and he floated in inches from the ground.

"Not bad," said Reborn. "But the perverted doctor ordered you not to use flames."

"I had to," said Tsuna, allowing the heat to overcome the part of him that loudly demanded to know how the hitman went from being on the top of the cliff to a tree branch right next to Tsuna's head. The hitman wouldn't answer that question, and there were more important matters to take care of. "Dr. Shamal would probably prefer not to see me again so soon."

The hitman didn't answer, but the smirk decorating Reborn's face said that he didn't very much care what the doctor did or did not want. Or what Tsuna did or did not want for that matter.

"Why did he come?" Tsuna said, careful to keep the command out of his tone. Reborn wouldn't react well to being ordered around by "Dame Tsuna," but Tsuna couldn't bring himself to turn off the heat, not when it was the only thing keeping him calm enough to ask the right questions. He needed to know.

"Who?" asked Reborn, and Tsuna leveled the hitman with his orange gaze. Tsuna wasn't in the mood for games. He could only keep the heat going for a little longer. Even now it threatened to sputter and flicker out of existence. Dr. Shamal's medicine wouldn't allow it to hold long enough to damage Tsuna, and Tsuna's body couldn't resist much longer. And he had to know.

"My father," said Tsuna, "Why is he here?"

"His son, the heir to Vongola, is missing," said Reborn.

"Is he here for the Vongola heir or his son?"

"Does it matter?"

Black eyes gazed blankly at Tsuna. They told Tsuna nothing, and the heat cooled. Tsuna's legs gave out, and he collapsed, breathing heavily and looking up at the sky framed by trees and an outcropping rock. He closed his eyes. He remembered seeing something like this before, back when he was younger. Back when the strong back could bring a quivering smile to his face and broad grin to his mother's and Tama's….But Reborn was right. It didn't matter. Tsuna had to get Tamaki back.

"Get up." A hard kick accompanied the command, and Tsuna jerked up. "Do you need motivation?"

The subtle threat had Tsuna on his feet and scrambling towards the rock wall. He didn't need to hear the click to know that Leon had shifted into a gun and had been cocked. He dug his hand into the wall and pulled himself up fast enough to dodge the first bullets. After that, hands stretched over hands, and his legs followed, leaving no thought for anything but survival. And how much he really wished that a certain tutor had stayed in Italy.

* * *

><p>"How'd he do?"<p>

Reborn shifted his gaze off his sleeping student and let it fall to rest on the figure that had come in the window. Fon's shoulders had less tension straining them. The session between the storm arcobaleno and the prefect must have gone well.

"He got to the top of the cliff and then collapsed."

"Already?" said Fon with undisguised pride. "I heard it took the Vongola Primo two weeks to do that."

"It's not good enough," said Reborn. "He collapsed."

"His stamina has always been a problem. It might have something to do with the fact that he doesn't give himself enough time to recover."

"He accessed his flames," said Reborn, allowing Leon to scramble off his hat and onto the hitman's hand. The chameleon quickly took the opportunity to take his position on Reborn's shoulder.

"His flames?" asked Fon, a sharpness entering his tone. "Didn't Dr. Shamal expressly say he was not to try accessing them?"

"He already did when the brat got kidnapped. The strength of his emotions must have allowed him full access. This time he could only hold them for two minutes before flickering out."

"He shouldn't have needed to access them in the first place. Did he scale with or without ropes?"

"Mafia bosses don't need ropes. And he didn't disappear under my watch."

The storm arcobaleno's expression softened and twisted under the implied rebuke. Reborn would have liked to physically wipe the anger painted across the storm arcobaleno's face. The self-righteous martial artist didn't have any reason to judge Reborn. The martial artist had lost track of their student, and that mistake could have been fatal. Dame-Tsuna had no survival instincts, not when it came to himself. He could easily have rushed off to try to save the brat alone.

"The Man in Iron Hat's messenger was here," said Fon, breaking the growingly hostile silence. "It was right after the messenger left that Tsuna disappeared to find Fuuta."

Reborn frowned. The "gift" from the Man in the Iron Hat sat heavily in his pocket, where he planned to keep it. They could succeed without that man's interference. Nothing good came from interacting with him, and Reborn wouldn't let the man wiggle his way to his student, even if he had to hide a potential advantage from his student.

"What did he say?" asked Reborn.

"I don't know. Lichi had trouble following the conversation."

Pulling down his fedora, Reborn smirked. A quick shift later, a green set of headphones settled onto Reborn's ears and looped behind his head. Reborn pressed the play button on the CD player connected to the headphones and listened to a recording of the conversation. The smirk slowly disappeared back into a frown as the conversation went on.

"Are you done?" asked Fon after a few minutes. The hitman glared at the storm arcobaleno as Leon returned to chameleon form.

"He's too interested in Tsuna," said Reborn, and the storm arcobaleno soon sported a frown of his own.

"What did he say?" asked Fon.

"He wants to help," said Reborn, and by the look on the other arcobaleno's face, he knew that the storm arcobaleno felt the same way that Reborn did. They couldn't let the Man in the Iron Hat anywhere near Tsuna. Even at the cost of their lives.

* * *

><p>Lambo didn't like what was happening. First, <em>Mamma<em> had started to live with them, which made him very happy at first. But then that man had come who had made both _Mamma_ and 哥哥' sad. The man hadn't come back after fighting with Yamamoto-ojisan except for that one time, but things had gotten worse after that. 哥哥' never had time to play, and Takeshi was always making noise in the room that Lambo wasn't allowed to go into.

The last time Lambo had snuck in there, he had almost lost his ear and had been sent back to bed without dinner. Lambo had made a big fuss about not wanting dinner anyway because he didn't like sushi anymore, but his stomach hurt like it did after Vince kept him. 哥哥' had snuck up some leftover sushi and made Lambo promise not to go back into Takeshi and Yamamoto-ojisan's special room. Lambo didn't want to break the promise too much, and he already had when he had snuck into the room with I-pin and Fuuta while 哥哥' was sleeping. So now Lambo could hear the noise, but he couldn't see what Takeshi was doing.

And then the stupid octopus head kept coming over with the weird guy with red hair. The two would go into the special room without even asking, and soon after the strange white haired man and Lancia would go into the room too. Then Yamamoto-ojisan would take Nana's lunch in the room so everyone could eat, including 哥哥'. Lambo knew that 哥哥' was in the room too because 哥哥' went straight to that room to practice with Fon in the morning. Fuuta would sometimes be allowed in, and stupid Fuuta wouldn't tell Lambo what happened in the room. The stupid book worm wouldn't even tell I-pin.

After lunch, they would all leave, except Takeshi. Takeshi would stay in the special room. And 哥哥' would go somewhere with Reborn and come back hurt and tired. Lambo wanted to fight Reborn, to make the hitman stop hurting 哥哥'. But Lambo couldn't stop Reborn. Last time Lambo had tried, he had gotten sent back to headquarters. To Papa and the Bovinos. Lambo…didn't want to go back. But he didn't want 哥哥' to be hurt.

"Reborn no hurt 哥哥'," said I-pin. "Reborn and Master make 哥哥' stronger."

"哥哥' doesn't need to be stronger!" cried Lambo, sniffling. "哥哥' is the strongest in the entire world! Only Lambo-sama will ever be stronger!"

"Lambo get strong," said I-pin, patting his back. "Strong and stop people hurting 哥哥', like black men. I-pin get strong too and help 哥哥' too."

"L-Lambo-sama will be stronger than I-pin."

"Then Lambo need train," said I-pin. "Like 哥哥', Takeshi, and Gokudera, Shoichi."

"Lambo-sama will train then," said Lambo, jumping up and knocking into I-pin's hand hard. I-pin pulled the hand back like it hurt, but it only hurt because she was a girl. "Lambo-sama will get stronger."

"Yes," I-pin said. She stretched her hands and lifted leg like 哥哥' did sometimes. Lambo backed up, because I-pin was smiling. "I-pin will help."

* * *

><p>Timoteo relaxed as he settled into his role. He rarely answered requests anymore, since as the Vongola Ninth he had too much riding on his shoulders to take on more. But this concerned Vongola, and Timoteo had found it too hard to even consider saying no to Tsunayoshi. The boy's reluctance to include Timoteo in the plan, to ask anything of the man whose successor the boy had landed into the world's worst jail, of the boss who held the boy's father's loyalty over the father's own family had convinced Timoteo. So much could have held Tsunayoshi back from asking Timoteo to play a part in this plan, but Iemitsu's eldest had shown his father's courage and daring and asked despite all reasons not to. Timoteo could not deny such a child even if the request had not dealt with the Vongola.<p>

The shadows in the other end of the abandoned theater darkened and solidified as a white, flickering smoke floated from below the floor and behind the walls. Timoteo remained relaxed, not giving any outward sign that the sight unnerved him. Metal glints shone like disappearing light in the dark, solidifying forms, and Timoteo vaguely wondered if part of the Vindice's reputation came solely from their frightening entrances.

"You have summoned us, Vongola Nono," said one of the forms, the one in the center. There appeared to be three altogether, but one could never be too certain with the Vindice.

"Yes. You have my heir," said Timoteo with as much authority as possible. He could not show the slightest weakness to these…men.

"We do not," replied the Vindice, his voice echoing hollowly off the walls.

"You do," said Timoteo. "The Vongola heir was hidden in Namimori in Japan so that he would not be taken or killed by other _famiglia_. Why did you take him?"

"You have two possible heirs," said the Vindice. "One of them posed as the chosen heir and requested a deal with us. He then took custody of one of our prisoners under the Vongola name. We then received confirmation that he was not the true Vongola heir and therefore had no authority to make a deal with us."

"And what happened to the prisoner?" asked Timoteo.

"We are holding him the fifth level of the Vendicare," said the Vindice. "He has admitted to being the imposter."

"Not my alternate heir," said Timoteo, brushing aside the guilt associated with those words. How many times had he called his sons that term? None lasted long under the title of "official" heir save Xanxus, and Timoteo had never been able to discover a way for Xanxus to inherit Vongola without running into problems with the lack of actual Vongola blood. But now was not the time for guilt. "The prisoner that came under Vongola custody."

"He was found innocent of his crimes," said the Vindice. "We saw no reason to incarcerate him due to the imposter's actions."

"Then why did my alternate heir have to make a deal with you if the original prisoner was innocent of his crimes and wrongfully imprisoned?" asked Timoteo. "It sounds as if my alternate heir was merely righting a wrong."

A silence stretched the air between the two, and Timoteo could tell from years of experience that the Vindice was taking his time to carefully word the next argument so as not to be caught off guard again. Or the cloaked figure was holding back the sudden impulse to incarcerate the head of the most powerful mafia _famiglia_.

"He could have simply cleared the man's name by presenting evidence," said another Vindice, the one on the right. "He tarnished both the Vongola's name along with the Vindice's."

"He freed an innocent man for an unfair incarceration. That would not tarnish the Vongola's name, only the Vindice's."

"What are you implying?" demanded the leftmost Vindice loudly.

"Calm yourself, Junk," said the center Vindice. "What is it that you want, Vongola Nono?"

"Release my alternate heir," said Timoteo, his posture erect and commanding. If he could convince these men to release Tamaki and leave Tsunayoshi alone, then the children's plan would not need to be tested. The Ninth could observe his two possible heirs in relative peace and discover which truly had the makings of a Vongola boss. And perhaps Iemitsu would stop spending hours sulking in his room and try to reconnect with his family. Timoteo had to confine the CEDEF leader to the hotel room after the second time he had gone off to assassinate the sushi chef owner. The assassination attempt had ended with Iemtisu gift-wrapped on the bed of his hotel room with a note saying that the CEDEF leader's visiting privileges were revoked until after Tamaki was safe at home. The whole situation would not have been as bad if Nana had come to the hotel to visit Iemitsu, but she hadn't. In the woman's defense, one of her children was missing and the other was about to risk everything to get him back. She was confused and upset. Which was another reason why Timoteo had to succeed in negotiating for Tamaki's release.

"What would you give for his release?" said the center Vindice.

"What would you require?"

"Someone to take his place," said the Vindice. "He committed fraud and impersonated the heir of the Vongola. Someone must pay for these crimes."

"I will bring one of my men in three days then," said Timoteo, mentally going over his mental Vongola roster. Some of the men on it had long fallen out of favor or had committed crimes against Vongola that had not fallen under the Vindice's purview. One of those men would certainly not be missed.

"That would not meet the requirements."

Timoteo let the phrase wash over him as he tried to ascertain what it meant. The Vindice never simplified their deals, so the mention of requirements didn't surprise Timoteo. The idea of the young Tsunayoshi dealing with these unjust and dangerous specters worried the Ninth as well as fascinated him. According to Reborn, the boy had simply convinced the Vindice to leave Lancia in Vongola custody and initiate an investigation with a few choice words, all under the Vongola name which he barely knew anything about. No wonder the Vindice were not happy that such a young boy had effectively manipulated and fooled them.

"And what are these requirements?" asked Timoteo slowly. The Vongola Ninth should not be outdone by a child.

"We require someone of equal value to the prisoner," said the center Vindice, the hollow tones of his voice acquiring some sharpness. "Give us your heir, and we will return the imposter."

"I cannot do that," said Timoteo.

"Then we have nothing more to discuss," said the center Vindice.

"What about more than one person?" said Timoteo quickly but not rushed. He could not let these specters leave. They would release Tamaki. "How many would be equal value?"

"That's not how it works!" said the left Vindice, the one who the center had called Junk. "We do not require equivalent value. We want equal value!"

"Enough," boomed the center Vindice, quieting Junk. All the Vindice looked the same in their dark cloaks and black top hats, but Timoteo could probably recognize the hot-tempered Vindice by his voice. One never knew when information like the identity of one of the Vindice could come in handy. "We have explained the terms. We will not negotiate further."

"Then we do have nothing more to discuss," said Timoteo with a deep sigh and a tap of his cane. Apparently, there would be no way to release Tamaki but the slim chance that Tsunayoshi's plan would work. The obstinacy of the Vindice was something that Timoteo had not expected. Usually, the Vindice quickly sought a deal when the Vongola was involved. Perhaps Tsunayoshi's actions had embarrassed them. Reputations in the mafia were worth their weight in gold. Timoteo could only hope that was the case, because any other explanation would not end well for either the Vongola or Iemitsu's boys. The Vindice were not known as the most sinister organization in the mafia for no reason, and if they wanted one of the Vongola heirs for something….The Ninth executed a stiff bow and pushed the thought aside. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"We will meet with the Vongola _famiglia_ as often as they feel necessary," said the center Vindice. "However we will not release your alternate heir."

"Not even to another _famiglia_?" said Timoteo, both to make certain that Tamaki would not be handed into the wrong hands and to stall for time. Even if Timoteo could not free Tamaki, the Vongola boss would not fail to accomplish Tsunayoshi's full request. And the answer would narrow down the possibilities for potential motives to keep a Vongola heir imprisoned.

"We are the regulators of the mafia law," said the right Vindice, "and we abide by the rules we set. Unless another _famiglia_ can offer up the true Vongola heir, we will not release the alternate one to them. Should any other _famiglia_ even discover there are two."

"Then it was the wisest decision to keep the twin heirs a secret," said Timoteo. The Vindice's reproach was unnecessary. Timoteo did not have to explain everything to those who explained nothing. The Vindice called Junk jerked, as if ready to attack Timoteo for the disrespect, but the center Vindice made a slight movement. Junk immediately stilled.

"Should you ever need us, Vongola Nono," said the center Vindice, though years of experience had the tone sounding rather hard. "Please do not hesitate to summon us."

"I won't," said Timoteo as the black cloaks disappeared in a cloud of near white, semi-transparent flames. "But I don't think I will need to."


	43. Surviving Contact with the Enemy

Chapter 43: _Surviving Contact with the Enemy_

The fur-lined headphones clattered as they fell to the floor for the umpteenth time. Tsuna held back a sigh as he picked them up an looped them around his neck. No wonder his earpiece was so different from everyone else's. The small black earpieces that Takeshi and Gokudera wore would have broken by this point, and Byakuran's thin earphones would have snapped in half. Irie knew exactly what he was doing when he created them. Tsuna tugged at the sleeves of his Northern Kung Fu uniform, keeping his hands from grabbing the headphone and fiddling with them again.

"Are you guys ready?" asked the redhead, rubbing his stomach. Tsuna gave his best smile in an effort to soothe the inventor nerves, but Irie clutched his stomach tighter and gave Tsuna the impression that the best smile that he could summon at the moment must have looked sickly.

"We're ready," said Takeshi, his grin wide and completely calm. Tsuna envied his friend's ability to grin perfectly despite the dark worry mudding the normally clear hazel eyes. "My old man wouldn't let us come out otherwise."

"Neither would I," said Hana, hands crossed and a deep scowl etched on her green-tinged face. "I don't like that Yamamoto-san was forced to stay in Takesushi."

The glare that accompanied the statement was directed firmly at Tsuna, who chose to ignore it. Doubts had been plaguing his stomach and lungs, forcing both to shudder and squeeze alternatively, but what was done was done. Someone had to stay behind to keep an eye on Nana and the kids. Lancia had to stay away from any of them until the connection with Rokudo Mukuro was completely cut, Kawahira had to trace that connection to discover the current location of the Vindice prison and keep them updated on its movements, and no one trusted Tsuna's father to do the job. And even if they had, the blonde man had insisted on coming with them, and the Vongola Ninth had backed the CEDEF leader's request, promising that Iemitsu would be confined to the ship and would not interfere with their operation. The very word "operation" made Tsuna's face turn green. Gokudera had insisted that they had to name their plan something and call it an operation, because apparently according to some formula or other the bomber whipped out a named operation would stand better chance of succeeding than a rescue plan without a name. Tsuna didn't think names had anything to do with it, but the thought of failing had him agreeing to Gokudera's idea. And so they were on their way to executing Operation Doppelganger Release.

"Getting a little seasick, are we?" asked Byakuran a tad too brightly. Despite the fact that the question was directed at him, Tsuna didn't dare look at the albino's undoubtedly amused face. The heat had been simmering all day, and Tsuna didn't think that he could rein it in if Byakuran looked the slightest bit nonchalant about rescuing Tamaki. And the dreams-_nightmares_-that had plagued Tsuna all week didn't help.

"I didn't know it was contagious," said Takeshi with a laugh. His grin sharpened. "Maybe you'll get it next, Byakuran-kun."

"Perhaps," said Byakuran almost with irritation. The added "-kun" from Takeshi seemed to anger the albino, but Tsuna wasn't sure. The albino's moods were hard to follow. "But I believe the loyal dog will get it from our lovely Kurokawa first."

"Seasickness is not contagious," snapped Hana, her hands gripping the inside of her elbows again. She swayed for an instant as if the sudden anger had left her queasy. The growingly green tint to her face testified that only her force of will kept her from retching on Tsuna's black cotton shoes. She took a shuddering breath and continued. "And if it was I wouldn't get close enough to the idiot monkey to give it to him."

"Do you think that Gokudera-san is finished with the preparations?" asked Irie, sending a worried glance over to the rope near the rail before switching his gaze to the small, handheld flat screen in his hand and tapping it a couple of times.

"Well is he?" asked Hana peevishly. The seasickness and the worry had her temper flashing constantly.

"U-um…yes," said Irie nervously. Hana's face hardened, and Irie's words sped up as a result. "I was double checking the coordinates with Kawahira-san and making sure the coast was clear. And then I tried to do the last minute checks on the boat and—"

"I got it," said Hana quickly, cutting Irie off. He wisely shut his mouth with a snap, and glanced back at the flat screen. Hana's sharp gaze fell on Tsuna. "You have everything?"

"Yes," said Tsuna, forcing himself not to stutter. He'd had enough Reborn training for a very long time, and hopefully once he got Tamaki back, he would never have to suffer through it again. He definitely wasn't going to give the hitman a reason. Fon's training was more than enough.

"We should go then," said Fon, leaping to Tsuna's shoulder. "The sooner we arrive, the more chance our operation has to succeed."

"You heard him," said Reborn from his regular seat on Tsuna's head. "Mush."

"I'm not a dog," said Tsuna, somehow sure that the hitman was dressed in a musher's outfit. Actually, the hitman probably wasn't, but it would be the first day in the whole week the hitman hadn't decided to wear some strange costume. Why the hitman wore such bizarre disguises was something that Tsuna wasn't sure he wanted to understand.

"You'd better come back," said Hana, her gaze both hardening and betraying her worry. "I don't want the moronic monkey king coming back without you."

Tsuna tried another smile which caused Hana's scowl to deepen and the worry to darken her eyes further.

"I'll hand the moronic monkey king back to them if he does," threatened Hana.

"No," said Tsuna the heat flaring up from its simmer, "you won't."

"If she doesn't, I will," said Takeshi. Tsuna felt the heat burn further under his skin, but it cooled when Tsuna saw that the grin had disappeared from Takeshi's face. The serious hazel eyes unsettled Tsuna, but he kept himself from shifting. He knew Takeshi would do whatever the young swordsman could to keep Tsuna safe. But Tsuna couldn't let him.

"Don't worry," said Byakuran. "I don't care to come back with the 'moronic monkey king.' If he comes alone onto the boat, I'll lead him off it and into the water. I highly doubt that the Vindice would leave the Vongola without an heir. It wouldn't benefit them."

The heat returned, and only a kick to Tsuna's head kept Tsuna from lunging at Byakuran. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna pushed down the heat, forcing it back to a simmer. Half-blurred images of amethyst eyes and spiked hair followed by terrified screams and hoarse pleas made Tsuna's eyes sting and the heat to flare again. He didn't want to attack Byakuran. He just wanted his brother back.

"Tsuna," said Takeshi, drawing Tsuna back to the images and sounds in front of him. A latch clip connected to a cord circling Takeshi's waist came into focus, and Tsuna didn't even try to smile as he linked his own latch to Takeshi's. How did they already get onto the jetboat? Takeshi turned and linked his second latch to one of Gokudera's, prompting the bomber to scowl at the swordsman before returning his attention to driving the boat.

"You're missing something. If you can't focus perhaps we should return to the ship," whispered Byakuran almost into Tsuna's ear, but the whisper didn't fully distract Tsuna from the albino linking up to Tsuna's second clip.

"No," Tsuna nearly hissed back, provoking Byakuran to put on his most annoying amused smile.

"I won't risk my flames," said Byakuran. "So if you don't act like you're here, then I'll confuse your loyal dog's senses and make him take us back to your 'grampa's' ship."

Tsuna ignored the albino's reference to the nickname that the Vongola Ninth insisted Tsuna used. Tsuna had nothing against the old man, and the Ninth had done a good job of keeping Tsuna's father away from Tsuna's mother. The old man had even agreed to Tsuna's request and done everything he could to try to raise the operation's ability to succeed. Byakuran was not going to rattle Tsuna by using the nickname.

"It won't work," said Tsuna.

"And why not?" asked Byakuran.

"Because I have a back-up plan."

"I don't think I like being called a back-up plan," said Fran appearing beside Byakuran. Of course, he was there the whole time, and Tsuna tried not to enjoy the slight jerk that Byakuran gave at the frog-hatted teen's appearance. "I prefer insurance."

"And what would prompt you to offer to be Tsunayoshi-kun's insurance over your own sempai's?" asked Byakuran, violet eyes narrowing.

"Tsunayoshi-san promised to make me bentos," said Fran. "He even threw in an all-I-can-eat spaghetti dinner whenever I want if I used my illusions to keep the boat hidden and on course to the Vendicare."

"You would sell out your sempai for food, Fran-_chan_," said Byakuran.

"Of course," said Fran flatly. "And Tsunayoshi-san makes the best food."

"That is true," said Fon, interrupting the conversation. "I doubt you could come up with a better counter offer, so I suggest you stop your threats and focus on the matter at hand. It appears we are about to arrive."

The sea reflected the sun in blinding gleams that seemed to grow in intensity. With a flick of Fran's left hand, the light dimmed to normal proportions and revealed high mountains, high enough to make the cliff that Tsuna had climbed over a hundred times look like a mini-midget of a cliff.

"Wow, I didn't know mountains could get that big," said Takeshi. "And they're all white."

"Of course they're all white, idiot," said Gokudera with a scowl and a glare. "They're covered in snow."

"That's strange. I thought I'd upgraded from idiot to freak," said Takeshi with a widening grin. Gokudera bristled and nearly growled a reply, starting one of several non-stop fights between the two.

"So how are we going to climb those?" asked Fran, talking over the other two's one-sided argument. "I don't think sempai likes heights."

"Actually I prefer them," said Byakuran, "but I do not like trudging through snow unnecessarily. That's why we're going through the passage."

Tsuna let out a sigh of relief, thinking back to his training. Cold did not appeal to him at the moment.

"So Tsunayoshi-kun," said Byakuran, "what will you give me for leading the way to this passage?"

"You should offer to make him something with marshmallows," said Fran. "There's a treat that's made with both rice and marshmallows. You should make him that. Sempai doesn't eat enough rice."

"No one asked for your suggestion, Fran-_chan_," said Byakuran.

"Oh, I forgot. You don't like those. They're 'horrid heartless abominations.' Maybe you should promise to never make them for him then, Tsunayoshi-san? I could help you stuff them down his throat if he says no."

"You know, Tsunayoshi-kun, I have some interesting information about Fran-chan I would love to share with yo—"

"Enough," said Tsuna firmly, cutting off Byakuran and catching the entire boat's attention. "Byakuran, show us the passage. We have to get going if we want to rescue Tamaki so you don't have to worry about me losing my flame or life or whatever it is you're after."

"I think we need to land first," said Byakuran.

"We already have," said Tsuna, and Reborn smirked from his position next to the boating steer that Gokudera had abandoned. Fon leapt from Tsuna's shoulder and onto the snow-covered stone that acted as a makeshift dock. Tsuna gave the rest a long, hard gaze. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Heaviness had settled on Gokudera's shoulders when Tsuna-sama had given them all that look. The orange gaze had been hard, but the disappointment that lined it had been what wouldn't leave Gokudera's thoughts alone even now three hours later. The passage that the dangerous albino had showed them was too narrow, making navigating it hard for them to navigate at times especially linked at they were. But they couldn't undo the cord. This operation required stealth which the cord, thanks to the Indigo <em>Augurio<em>, managed to give them in an unheard of advantage.

To think that the small piece of weirdly shaped metal would allow them to approach the Vindice unnoticed sounded impossible, but the Indigo _Augurio_ somehow allowed the wearer to become invisible to everyone's senses until he or she somehow revealed that he or she was there. Once someone knew that the holder of the Indigo _Augurio_ was there, then the Indigo _Augurio_ would cease to work. Every _Augurio_ they had worked on similar if unknown set of limitations, and their effects varied.

Each _Augurio_ was a strange mix of melded alloys, specifically the flame-conducting alloys 3, 26, 51, 59, 80, and two other alloys that Shiochi had not yet labeled as flame-conduits: 18 and 27. The difference between_ Augurios_ lay in the amount of each alloy. The Indigo _Augurio_ basically consisted of alloy 26 with the other alloys twisted and crisscrossed inside it.

How the alloys even managed to be melded or joined in such a delicate, intricate way remained a great mystery to both Shoichi and Gokudera, though Shoichi intended to get started on figuring out that "how" when they returned with the moronic imitation. The redheaded inventor considered the secret of the_ Augurios_ the key to unlocking how to make boxes accessible to everyone, since boxes made with one alloy would not allow themselves to be open by anything but the flame conducted by that alloy. Gokudera would rather discover how to use the_ Augurios _to their full potential. However, unlike the sword freak, Gokudera had yet to receive one. He could always ask Tsuna-sama to borrow one, like Shoichi had. Tsuna-sama had easily lent the so-called "_Sol Augurio_" to the inventor for the week, before asking for it back on the boat. But Gokudera had not yet managed to find the best moment to ask Tsuna-sama for one of his _Augurios_.

"Is that it? It's a little small," Takeshi whispered, drawing Gokudera out of his thoughts. The sword freak was leaning forward, but the narrowness of the passage didn't allow Gokudera to see what the sword freak was staring at.

"Either that's the Vendicare being guarded by two scary, cloaked guards or the scary looking men in cloaks are here on vacation," said Fran tonelessly. "And I don't think they like the snow enough to take a vacation here."

"I don't know. Some people like to take a vacation in the snow," said the sword freak, finally stepping out of the way so that Gokudera could see. Gokudera decided to ignore the sword freak's stupid comment and analyze the situation instead. Looking at the hole in the snow mountain side, the sword freak's initial comment didn't sound so stupid. The Vendicare was supposed to be one of the worst prisons in the word, and whenever it had haunted Gokudera's dreams, it had towered several miles above his head and boasted the most dangerous electric and barb wire imaginable. The hole in the ground seemed pitiful next to such imagined terrors, especially given that there were only two guards watching the entrance. But first impressions were often wrong. The appearance matched exactly what Lancia had described, though his information dealt more with the inside of the prison than the outside, since Rokudo Mukuro had not allowed Lancia full control of his senses during their escape.

"So who should go in first, Tsunayoshi-kun?" asked the dangerous albino. Gokudera scowled. He had not wanted to bring the dangerous albino on the operation, but unfortunately, the dangerous albino had insisted and withheld information to make sure that Tsuna-sama had no choice but to bring him. Byakuran made no effort to hide that he wanted something from Tsuna-sama, and his continued references to flames had set even Shoichi on edge. The flames used to open and close the boxes were energy, but beyond that, neither Shoichi nor Gokudera knew where they came from. Shoichi had a theory that the flames came from people's energy, and that each person could only had a limit of which kinds of energy they could use. The redhead inventor based that theory on the fact that people had different kinds of blood, and so they could have different kinds of energy. The comparison was weak at best, because Gokudera himself could use at least four flame conducting alloys (though Gokudera had also shown ability with alloy 18, but it was unstable at best).

"I think you should go first Fran," said Tsuna-sama, turning back to them after staring behind them as if searching for something. "Please make sure to provide extra cover."

"Oh, so you don't trust me to walk behind you," said Byakuran with a narrowed eyed smile.

"No," said Tsuna-sama. "I don't trust you not to bother Takeshi and Gokudera."

"They should not let what I say bother them," said Byakuran. Gokudera grit his teeth.

"Come on, sempai," said Fran, giving his cord a good yank and nearly unbalancing the idiot albino. "No one can stand your teasing except me and Tsunayoshi-san, and I want to hurry and get out of the cold. It makes me hungry."

"It appears everything makes you hungry," said Fon from Tsuna-sama's shoulder. The frog-hatted weirdo didn't reply and kept dragging the idiot albino away. The martial artist gave Tsuna-sama a small smile and continued. "I can see why you brought him on the mission. Fran-kun does a good job of curving Byakuran-san's bad habits."

"Byakuran's a bit hard," said Tsuna-sama as he started behind the two in order so the cord didn't drag him into the ground. "But he's better than he appears. I think."

"You're too naive," said Reborn. "That boy's dangerous."

"So are you," said Tsuna-sama. "And I trust you."

Reborn opened his mouth to say something else when bright yellow and red lights shone through the narrow mountain pass. They lit the entire area, bouncing off the snow and standing like flares on Tsuna's head and shoulder.

"Hm, seems I forgot to mention that," said Byakuran.

"Mention what? What happened?" demanded Tsuna-sama.

"Best to ask questions later. It appears the two lonely guards came to see what brightened their day," said Byakuran.

"Get out of here," commanded Reborn, his yellow pacifier still glowing. "Fon and I will take care of them."

"But—"

"We'll remain near here to escort you back," said Fon calmly as he leapt from Tsuna-sama's shoulder, his own pacifier shining red. Reborn gave the small brunette a good kick before leaping off his spot on Tsuna's head. Suddenly, a flickering weak colorless light ghosted at the edges of the yellow and red glows. Twin black cloaked figures solidified right in front of the two arcobaleno.

"What are you doing here, arcobaleno?" hissed one.

"We came to visit," said Reborn, his voice dark and threatening. It sent shivers down Gokudera's spine "Would you like to tell us why our pacifiers are reacting?"

"That is none of you concern, Reborn, current holder of the Sun Pacifier," said the other Vindice. "Leave."

"We don't want to," said Reborn.

"Then we will force you," said the first Vindice. Immediately chains smacked the spot where Reborn had been, but the hitman was already in the air. Golden shots zoomed out of his gun and towards the second Vindice, who had his chains out to surround Fon. The martial artist ducked in between the chains and headed towards the first Vindice who had pulled a second chain from his cloak. Reborn shot the first Vindice's second chain, and the bullet passed by it and pinged near Tsuna-sama's feet, causing Tsuna-sama to jerk back. Closed his eyes tightly, Tsuna-sama turned away from the fight that was picking up speed. The brunette headed for the now unprotected entrance, and the others followed. As they entered the cave mouth, a piece of darkness broke away from the blackness of the cave and smacked right into the sword freak. The new Vindice stood quickly and drew back, but then lashed out a chain at both Takeshi and Gokudera. Takeshi leapt and pushed Gokudera away from the chains, blocking the chains with a circle of swords pointed downwards to the earth.

"Who are you?" said the new Vindice. "State your purpose."

"I will if you stop trying to choke me," said Takeshi with his usual grin that disappeared as one of the chains slithered past the swords and headed for his head. Clicking his tongue, Gokudera quickly opened one of his boxes and threw two small different colored orbs, taking a breath before the second to solidify his intention. He would suffer whatever abuse to keep Tsuna-sama alive. The two orbs landed in precisely the right place, and the blast sent the Vindice several steps backwards, allowing Gokudera to analyze the situation. Tsuna-sama was gone, so he was probably safe or proceeding with the mission. The sword freak stood confused with his sword out in front of him right inside a large, round green sphere. The green orb did its job, but the sword freak couldn't just stand there. The Vindice would not be stunned for long, and Gokudera could not increase the blast because then the sword freak might be injured. Tsuna-sama would not have wanted that, and honestly Gokudera did not think that he could hold off even one Vindice on his own.

"Move, Sword Freak," said Gokudera. The sword freak did move, and the circle of swords vanished back into blue-edged purple flames. A second sword appeared in the sword freak's hand as the chains snapped together, and the Vindice stirred. Another set of chains appeared behind the black cloaked man, and Gokudera was forced to take out two more green orbs. After concentrating on taking all the pain the Vindice could inflict to keep Tsuna-sama's mission safe, the green orbs expanded into two globes of crackling green flames engulfed Gokudera that twice over. The oncoming chains clanged against the double layered green orb that surrounded Gokudera, but the green shield held. Gokudera clenched the third Box, the one which held the green orbs, and tried to channel the crackling flames through it, but the green flame never came as easy as the red one. He should be the one dispensing damage, not receiving it. The tip of the chain bit into the first green orb and threatened the second.

A sword stabbed inside the links right behind the tip and pinned the chain into the ground. The sword freak grinned at Gokudera before another chain caused him to jump out of the way. The chains succeeded in breaking through the green barriers, and with a flick of his hand, Gokudera tossed a yellow swirled red orb at the intersecting point between to chains. The explosion barely made any blast, and both chains whipped around to circle him, but they quickly clattered to the floor as they flaked and turned rusty brown. If Gokudera had a second to breathe, a sigh of relief would have escaped him. Unfortunately a third and fourth chain had Gokudera whipping out two more green orbs from the third Box, and the new double barrier quivered and sparked under the chain tips.

Taking half a second to check on the sword freak's position, Gokudera fingered the fifth Box. The sword freak seemed far enough away. Gokudera had not managed to make the area of the "blast" that large, and he had to do something. Even the sword freak had realized that their role in the plan had changed. Now they needed to aid the arcobaleno in distracting the Vindice, or else Tsuna-sama, the dangerous albino, and the frog weirdo would be discovered. Thankfully the sword freak had managed to unclip from Tsuna-sama, or the whole plan would have become null and void and they would have had to retreat. There is no way they could fight their way through the Vindice. As it was, they could barely defend themselves.

Another sword brushed past the chains trying to sink into the green barrier. Gokudera wanted to glare at the sword freak and remind the idiot to keep his mind on his own battle, but the bomber couldn't waste time looking for the sword freak again. Instead Gokudera closed his eyes and allowed his mind to bring up the memories of lunches on the roof and arguments with both the sword freak and the stupid wench and moments spent silently by Tsuna-sama's side – times where peace didn't feel like such an impossible sensation – and drew out the contents of the fifth Box.

A fifth and sixth chain nearly met with the green sparking barrier before four blue orbs landed equal distance from each other and formed a diamond. The resulting wave of flames stalled the newest chains long enough for Gokudera to duck beneath the original two's now sluggish attack, pulse flame into the seventh Box three times, and drop that same yellow rimmed red box into the center of what remained of the green barrier. Gokudera pushed his legs in order to escape the imminent blast. Despite being fed by his flames, the timed Boxes had a tendency, unlike the orbs, to affect their user. He stumbled and nearly fell, but the blast merely seared his ankles briefly before Gokudera used the last green orb to block the rest of the yellow-tipped red flames that burst past. They left nothing but red-brown flakes and metal dust within the seven foot radius, and the parts of the chains that had remained outside that area were crumbling and decaying into brittle rust.

A smirk decorated the silver haired teen's face. Perhaps they had more of a chance than he had thought. Four chains whizzed through the air and headed straight for Gokudera's barely flickering green barrier. A curse flew from his lips, and he grabbed a second yellow rimmed red box. Gokudera would not let the cloaked freaks take him alive. He wouldn't allow Tsuna-sama to spend time and energy fighting for his release. The bomber would die first. The decision caused the green barrier to spark wildly, and it deflected the chains. Quickly storing the reaction to analyze later, Gokudera reached instead for the sixth Box and considered the worth of using it. He hadn't seen what had happened to the hands manipulating the other chains, but he knew these were manipulated by new opponents. No one could replace their weapon so easily and quickly, not outside the arcobaleno.

He hissed another curse and opened the sixth Box and inserted three yellow-swirled red orbs. Hoping against hope that the stupid thing would work, Gokudera recalled the last few years, the one where he was connected to no one famiglia. He pushed back the dark looks and restless nights and the whispers that he was better off dead and the endless hours of hopeless searching. Instead he held on to the feeling of freedom, of going wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. The times he didn't have to answer to a two-faced, emotionless father, didn't have to eat his evil sister's deadly food, and didn't have to touch a piano. Gokudera lived, survived, on his own. He refused to return to that horrible mansion that had been his home and play the part his father demanded. The sixth Box flashed bright purple, and when he reopened it, the three orbs had become 21. Five of them were soon in the air and passing through the still sparking green barrier. Four collided with the four chains while the fifth spun in the air and met a fist that had been headed for the barrier.

An inhuman scream echoed after the five simultaneous blasts, and Gokudera found his hands pressing desperately against his head. They blocked little of the shrieking roar, the pitch and sound ripping through Gokudera's whole body and causing him to collapse and curl into himself. He forced his mouth open so that his teeth would not clench and increase the pain that had followed the piercing sound. Pain flashed through his head, and black overcame his vision. His body slumped forward and hit the ground as his brain shut off.

* * *

><p>Nothing was going right. Takeshi and Gokudera weren't supposed to be fighting the Vindice by themselves. The Indigo <em>Augurio<em> was supposed to keep them all hidden, even Reborn and Fon. The two arcobaleno shouldn't have separated from Tsuna until the group was further in. The pacifiers around the arcobaleno's necks weren't supposed to glow.

"Let me go," Tsuna hissed, pulling at the two sets of arms gripping his. "We need to go back. We need to get them. We can reattach the cords—"

"It won't work," said Byakuran. "They've been seen. Your _Augurio_ cannot make what is already visible invisible."

"Sempai's doesn't usually tell the truth," said Fran, earning a violet glare, "but he's not lying. If we go help them, the Vindice'll see us and we won't be able to save Tsunayoshi-san's annoying brother."

"But…," Tsuna said faintly. Darkness and strange laughter and a coldness trapping all heat, cornering it and gripping it and seeping stillness into it, blurred the angular walls and the steel door and the faces of the two holding Tsuna's arms. He couldn't leave Tamaki to that-_cold,dark,terrifying_-fate, but he couldn't leave Takeshi and Gokudera either.

"The arcobaleno won't let your pets get hurt," said Byakuran. "So I would worry more about your 'annoying brother.'"

"They're not pets," said Tsuna automatically, wearily. The heat buzzed and hissed, and Tsuna struggled to calm it. Tsuna knew (in that way that he didn't understand and currently hated) that if they continued, Takeshi and Gokudera (maybe even Reborn and Fon) would get caught. Everything about this situation was wrong. He didn't want to trade his friends for his brother. But…his chest tightened and burned. Tama needed Tsuna.

"If you don't get that under control, they'll notice," said Byakuran. "And I didn't come all this way to let them have you."

Tsuna breathed in to cool the burning searing his chest and forehead, and he sagged enough for the arms to let go of his. He opened his mouth to say they were going back. They'd try something else, figure out another way to free Tamaki. But they wouldn't. The stupid, evil knowledge that came in a burst of heat froze Tsuna's mouth. The memory of the Ninth Vongola saying that there was only one other way blazed through Tsuna's mind, followed by the words "unacceptable terms." Tsuna had felt the cold truth of the Ninth's words and hadn't asked what the other way was. The Ninth would not have told Tsuna. But Tsuna knew what it was anyway. Tsuna had prepared for the other way; he had known what he would have to do. But he did not know that Takeshi and Gokudera might become trapped because of that other way. He stared at the steel door that served as barrier between him and his friends. The heat curled up from his stomach, because he couldn't…he couldn't…

Again visions assaulted Tsuna. Darkness that screamed but did not drown out horrible, mocking laughter. Words that seared his ears and caused acid to erupt from his stomach. Pain, itchy, sharp pain that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with soul…Tamaki's pain. The same pain that could happen to Takeshi, Gokudera, Fon, and…and even Reborn. Four against one…Tsuna couldn't…couldn't save Tamaki. He had to turn back.

The words that had been on his tongue earlier had disappeared, leaving his mouth hot and paper dry. All its wetness seemed to migrate to the corner of his eyes, and he forcefully closed his mouth to collect himself. He took another deep breath, trying to recall Fon's lessons on control and even considering what Reborn would do if he lost it right here in the middle of a Vendicare hallway. A leader has to be strong. Reborn had drilled that over and over into Tsuna's head in the last week. A leader cannot show weakness. A leader has to make the hard choices. Tsuna didn't want to be a leader. He wanted Tamaki back; he wanted to protect his little brother like he had promised.

"Looks like you need help," said a voice amused, a familiar tenor underlining the sound. "Help I'm willing to provide."

"Who are you?" asked Fran, peering into a nearby cell.

"I see you haven't told them about me yet," said the familiar voice as its owner stepped closer to the hall and its light. Unforgettable red and indigo eyes almost glowed against the darkness of the cell. "That was careless of you."

"Rokudo Mukuro," said Tsuna lowly, in a tone usually reserved for his father. The pineapple haired illusionist dared to smirk.

"Would you like to hear my proposal, _Vongola Decimo_?"


	44. Unacceptable Transactions

Chapter 44: Unacceptable Transactions

Cold metal pinched Takeshi's skin as it wrapped around him, and the young swordsman tried to pry his hands off his head, to pull, yank, tear the clinking metal off or grab the sword that had fallen by his feet. But it was too late. The chains pinned his hands in place as they pulled his knees painfully into his stomach. The shrieking roar began to fade, but the pain increased before bursting into something else. Takeshi felt blurry and saw static on the edges of his vision. A harsh tug on the chains pulled him up and into an awkward sitting position that should have been near painful, but a buzzing and fuzziness replaced all sensation.

"Tell us," said a cloak sounding like the words were bouncing on the back of his hands while the rest of his body gathered closer together. Too bad the bright bites continued. "What are you doing here? Where did you come from?"

"He won't tell us anything," said another cloak in a way that Takeshi's whole body leaned in. "His brain won't be registering anything properly for another hour, maybe longer. He was within a five meter radius."

"You should have held back. You needed to incapacitate him, not scramble his thought processes," said the first cloak with a push and slap tone.

"Johann is dead," said the second as straight as a tree.

"He was already dead," said the first bluntly. "And the other?"

"Yang Gor took care of him," swore the second. "But he's unconscious."

"And the active ones?" barked the first.

"I believe Alejandro and Small Gea are coming, and Sir Bermuda has been called." They were starting to sound like clowns or fish venders. Fish venders spilled everything carelessly.

"We need to discover why they are here, especially the sun one. He's connected to Vongola and Signore Bermuda told us to watch for the possible arrival of anyone from Vongola." Takeshi's heart ducked next to his stomach at those words, but his brain thought they were being silly. They'd never find Tsuna.

"Apparently the alternate heir is too important for even the fear of us to deter them from an attempt. The trap is still laid should there be others."

"Hopefully there are no more. It would be difficult to set another one if our true prey should find it out. Let us safeguard this one in the first room until Signore Bermuda appears. Perhaps he will have Signore Jager come question him."

The words blurred, and Takeshi's body rolled forward without moving. Takeshi's back nearly protested the non-motion by swishing back, but he couldn't move. His open mouth clamped closed, and he could see less static and more black. He decided to turn off his eyes too, because he needed to stop everything. He needed….he needed….something? To…to do…to think….or something needed him? Tsuna!

Brown eyes in a worried face framed on the top by brown hair. Takeshi knew that person. He stayed with it. Tsuna needed Takeshi to be there. Here. These cloaks were like fish venders, and they might spill something that Tsuna needed to know. Takeshi turned on his ears and listened.

"Have any of the alarms gone off?" asked one of the cloaks. Takeshi couldn't tell if it was the first or the second, since the voice only fell like drizzling rain.

"No, but if there are more, and they get close, they will," said the other like distant thunder.

"They shouldn't have made it this far," said the one that could be the first or second. "The others should have spotted them. If the active ones had not been with them—"

"The alarms would have alerted us. The trap would have been sprung. Sir Bermuda's plan concerning our true prey would have been set back. But they did bring the active ones with them."

"Enough talking," said a new voice that sounded nothing like the others. It sent ripples that crackled over ice. "The synapses that deal with sensation are scrambled, but not enough that he won't understand you. In fact, they might have been scrambled enough to understand every word your saying."

"Signore Bermuda," said one of the first two, or was in the second one? Either way he sounded like an umpire calling "out." "We didn't mean—"

"Drop him in the cell quickly. We have more company," said the rippling ice.

"What kind of more?" asked the second first or two of the first one.

"The more that I thought that the Vongola Ninth would send." The rippling ice warmed to a sheet of ice. "But then he would have more reason to come."

Then the rippling ice cracked, and Takeshi lost sense of all around him. He hung onto the thought, the information. He needed to tell Tsuna about the rippling ice and what it said. And Takeshi would tell Tsuna, as soon as Tsuna got back. And Tsuna would be back. Tsuna was too strong not to come back.

* * *

><p>The glare that emanated from the now glowing orange eyes nearly had Mukuro biting back his words. It barely resembled the cool, determined gaze that had baffled the illusionist the first time they had crossed paths. This gaze would have set him ablaze without thought should he stand in the way of its owner. It was a gaze that Mukuro understood, one he was all too familiar with. Those eyes hungered for his blood, for his demise, for his destruc—<p>

"Tsunayoshi-kun, you look really scary right now," said the albino that Mukuro had seen a few times through the traitor Lancia's eyes, and the orange gaze cooled to a basic blaze. "You look like you might rip his head off."

"Rokudo Mukuro," repeated the strange teen with the frog hat that was another illusionist given the appearing/disappearing acts that Lancia-sempai had seen. The strange teen slammed a fist into his hand. "Oh, he's the one that was using Lancia-san as a telescope."

"Hm, I would call it more like looking through a spyglass than a telescope," said the albino, Byakuran though the name didn't fit. It sounded too innocent for this man. "After all, that's what spyglasses were made for. Though I don't think it works too well anymore."

"No," said Mukuro widening his smirk. Best to keep them guessing, and it's not like he's lost all connection to Namimori. Sawada Tsunayoshi had a soft spot for children, and Mukuro planned to exploit it. "It stopped working a while ago."

"Let's go," said Sawada Tsunayoshi, turning back to the steel door and away from the cell. As if he could ignore Mukuro's words so easily. The brunette's thoughts were written on his face even as he attempted to make the expression blank. He wanted to get his brother back at whatever cost, and Mukuro's offer had every ring of truth. Mukuro could help the Mafioso in disguise retrieve his precious brother, and the illusionist would. Mukuro had plenty of reasons to free the chained Vongola heir. An untouchable body and one that was currently locked up for eternity would hardly fit into to Mukuro's plan. The mafia world would tear itself asunder if Vongola were to undergo a civil war.

"You should hear me out, Vongola Decimo," said Mukuro.

"I'm not the Vongola Decimo," snapped Sawada Tsunayoshi. Mukuro's smirk darkened. Looks like someone was losing his patience.

"You will be if you don't accept my aid," said Mukuro. "There is no other way to help your beloved brother escape."

"Perhaps," said Byakuran with an amused smile. "But trusting vipers sounds like a terrible idea. I'm sure our Irie-kun could give us a better escape."

"The thing with the Vindice is that they tend to up security every time something or someone makes it past their preventive measures," said Mukuro. "The only reason I am still in this cell instead of one of the lower levels is because I traded them some valuable information for it."

The orange gaze returned, and Mukuro basked in the familiarity of it. How many people had looked at him in the same manner? With the intent to destroy him, to make him pay for what he had done? The calm gaze that radiated such a confusingly impassive danger was gone, and in its place a glare that resembled that of so many men. Men that had convinced Mukuro over a multitude of lives that this world needed to be conquered. The world needed to be ruled by someone who could crush those that destroyed or had the potential to destroy and eliminate all threats to the weaklings that currently lived under such men. To change the world into a place where the weaklings worshipped the strong, and the strong in turn used the weaklings. Where Mukuro decided who lived or died, who stayed captive or who went free, who were experiments and who were those that experimented. And the owner of that burning orange gaze would be the one to make Mukuro's world conquest possible.

"Maybe I should rip his head off for you," said Byakuran, and though much milder, the purple eyes reflected the thoughts of the orange ones. "It wouldn't do to bloody your hands to soon."

"I think you should tell us what you can do to help us get Tsunayoshi-san's annoying brother out," said the weird teen with the frog hat. "If you like your head that is."

"Kufufu, I doubt either of your sempais could manage that," chuckled Mukuro.

"Tsunayoshi-san's not my sempai," said Fran. "And he could have already taken your head."

The reminder of the humiliating loss to the little brunette wolf in lamb's skin turned Mukuro's smirk into a scowl, but he quickly recovered his good humor. He had the upper hand now, and his plan was working better than he hoped. By the sound of things, the brunette had brought two of his friends, who along with the two arcobaleno were either caught or would be very soon. So Mukuro only had to tell the burning brunette what he wanted, and his plan would go into its final stage.

"I can lead you to where they are holding the 'moronic imitation,'" said Mukuro, enjoying the tightness that surrounded the orange eyes at his comment. The albino smiled.

"No need," said Byakuran. "We know exactly where it is, don't we, Irie-kun?"

The frog-hatted teen didn't respond, and neither did Sawada Tsunayoshi. But the orange eyes loosened, and the albino's lips curved with amusement.

"He said fifth level, fifth hallway, tenth cell to the right," said the frog-hatted teen flatly.

"Oh?" said Mukuro. "Did the Vongola Nono learn that from his meeting? I doubt my prisoner guards would give such specific information so easily."

"Maybe they did," said Byakuran, the violet eyes narrowing above the smile. "But it won't make a difference to your head."

"You wouldn't risk losing an alternate exit," said Mukuro calmly, though the words did come out quicker than planned. The albino's thin smile implied that Byakuran would not hesitate on a threat. Mukuro didn't want that. The brunette should have to shed his lambskin first.

"A tunnel in cell 9 on level one," said Fran flatly.

"It had to be used recently and has been discovered and sealed as a result," said Mukuro, the smirk returning to his face.

"You're lying," said Sawada Tsunayoshi, blazing eye burning into Mukuro's. The purple-haired illusionist masked his surprise and inwardly growled. This brunette was not to be underestimated. "And it wouldn't matter. We are going out the way we came in."

"Still intent on rescuing your pets?" asked Byakuran.

"They are not my pets," said Sawada Tsunayoshi, turning back to the door and proceeding to open the door.

"I marked him," said Mukuro, his voice lacking his normal condescending confidence. He would not stay in this prison a day longer, and he could not let Sawada Tsunayoshi escape him. Not again

"Marked?" Sawada Tsunayoshi said sharply, his whole body snapping back towards the cell. The brunette's voice reached an extremely low pitch. "How?"

"He's mine," said Mukuro, recovering the remnants of his plans and pasting a smirk back onto his face. "Like Lancia was."

A flash of orange light shone, and the past overlapped with the present as Mukuro looked again at doubly orange tinted eyes that shone with power. But there was something different this time. The power wasn't as emotionless, yes, but it also seemed more…refined. The eyes didn't scan Mukuro for possible weaknesses, didn't wait for Mukuro to make a move, and didn't show the slightest indication that it would destroy him other than intent. In five seconds, Mukuro's collar was held in a flame-engulfed grip.

"Take the mark off," said Sawada Tsunayoshi, his voice low and icy. How could heat and cold exist in the same person at the same time? Mukuro considered activating the fifth or sixth path, but he couldn't summon his trident. The orange flames (they appeared darker than before) that licked his chin also froze him in place, and he couldn't lift his arms. Mukuro replaced and widened his smirk, half-aware that it had disappeared under the unforgiving gaze.

"It has to be done physically," said Mukuro, and for an instant the orange glow fell back into the blank, untempered gaze. Mukuro continued to smirk, confident because it was the truth and his opponent was shaken. The instant passed, and the gaze turned deadly.

"You will take it off," said the burning brunette, his second hand warping the metal of the cell door. It hissed and clanged open. "And then you will never touch anyone in my family again."

"Your family or your _famiglia_?" asked Mukuro, forcing his voice to remain amused and flippant. The double-tinted eyes—Mukuro found himself wondering if he could remove them without damaging the brunette's body—narrowed, and Mukuro's intake of breath sharpened.

"Both."

* * *

><p>The heat raged, and Tsuna found himself barely able to contain it. Every instinct, feeling, judgment pulled at him. Tamaki was in danger. But so were Takeshi and Gokudera. Mukuro had marked Tamaki the same way that he had marked Lancia for possession. And Tsuna's hand had reached out and grabbed the pineapple-haired illusionist. Tsuna's other hand had wrapped itself into a tight fist with his middle and pointer finger curved into a hook. The hooked fingers had itched to dig into the throat under the illusionist's smirk. But Tsuna had pushed the tight, hooked fist into the door frame, pushing the rabid heat onto the metal of the cell door and warping it open. The smirk had disappeared, and a part of the heat calmed though it didn't cool. It wouldn't. Not until Tamaki was free of both Mukuro and the Vindice. But the same heat flared in warning the closer they got to Tamaki's cell.<p>

The dark dreams-nightmares-that had plagued his sleep twisted his stomach as parts of them made sense. Light indigo eyes floating in empty darkness that soon filled with breathy, mocking laughter. The terror that brushed up Tsuna's arms and gripped them with a whimper. And a demand…a plea…a conversation that was both one-sided and between two people. They were illusions. They were leaking to Tsuna. And there was only one person whose thoughts could leak (as Tsuna had often called it) into Tsuna's brain.

The hallways got darker as they walked to the lower levels, and forms and sounds and cold-cornered heat feelings kept rising and blurring. He squinted, trying to keep his focus on what was happening, on what was, not on what happened or appeared to have happened elsewhere. The heat rose, pulling Tsuna forward faster.

"Tsunayoshi-san, I can't walk this fast," said Fran, in between rasping breaths. Sweat glistened on Fran's face, and Tsuna noticed similar sheens on the faces of Byakuran and Mukuro. The pineapple haired illusionist's exhaustion cooled the heat somewhat, as if it enjoyed the justice. Tsuna took another deep breath to force his steps to slow and to try to keep his thoughts from wandering.

"We'll be there soon," Byakuran whispered into Tsuna's ear. The action would usually send shivers down Tsuna, but instead Tsuna's stomach, which had been churning, calmed.

"Reassuring your victim?" asked Mukuro. Byakuran smiled sharply and tightened his grip on Mukuro's wrist.

"You should be careful. Tsunayoshi-kun isn't in a mood to try to stop me," said Byakuran.

"I don't think he should be careful," said Fran, breathing more normally. "I want to see Byakuran use his evil powers for good."

"What's that supposed to mean, Fran-chan?" asked Byakuran, his slitted gaze switching from the pineapple-haired illusionist to the frog-hatted one.

"Tsunayoshi-san, Byakuran's threatening me again," said Fran flatly.

"Don't threaten Fran-san, Byakuran-san," said Tsuna. The heat stilled and simultaneously cooled. Something had changed. Tsuna didn't know what it was, but the air entered and exited his lungs easier. But then they stood before another steel door, and Tsuna's breath returned to shallow.

"So you do know where he is," said Mukuro. "And what will you do now, Vongola?"

"Get in and rescue him of course," said Byakuran, reaching for the knob and turning it. The knob clicked, but the door didn't open. Tsuna's breath hitched erratically, and Tsuna stopped and took in a deep breath and forcefully stabilized his breath. "Ready?"

Tsuna barely heard the soft whisper, but he closed his eyes. They shouldn't open the door. Tamaki was on the other side of the door. But they shouldn't open it. But if they didn't, they would fail. Tamaki would remain in this place forever. Tsuna squeezed his eyes tighter, wishing that he didn't know anything. That he didn't know that Takeshi and Gokudera were probably captured, that Reborn and Fon wouldn't be okay for much longer, that they shouldn't open the door but still had to. He wasn't sure how he knew, and he didn't care. He didn't want to know. But he did, and he knew there was only one way out of this situation. Hana would hate it and lecture him until he reconsidered, Gokudera would plead and physically try to stop him, Takeshi would pin him in place with as many swords as he could, and Yamamoto-san and Tsuna's mother….Quickly, he shook his head, and listened as the knob clicked open. The door creaked, and hissing chains shot out, wrapping around Tsuna and the others. The cool feel of metal almost seemed familiar, normal, as it pinched his skin. Tsuna could get used to the sensation.

"Interesting," said a blank voice. "I could not sense you."

"You shouldn't be able to see us either," said Byakuran with a smile, while Fran grew pale. Tsuna sent the frog-hatted teen an apologetic glance, but Fran couldn't look anywhere but the black-cloaked figure that floated before them. Tsuna watched the figure out of the corner of his eyes as he checked on his friends, both of whom were wrapped in chains along with Mukuro.

"Your illusions are strong, but I do not rely on my senses," said the bandaged man.

"I brought them here as you wanted," said Mukuro, the words having little effect on Tsuna though Byakuran's violet eyes flashed dangerously. The pineapple-haired illusionist merely wanted to save his own skin. Tsuna didn't expect more from him. "So why don't you release me?"

"I do not remember Bermuda-san approving of such an action," said the Vindice.

"I see no reason why I should wait for approval," said Mukuro.

"You are a prisoner. You will return to your cell."

"If you release me, I will do just that."

"You will wait for a guard to escort you."

"As you wish," said Mukuro, with that taunting smirk quirking his lips. The Vindice then turned his attention to Tsuna.

"What did you expect to accomplish by coming here?"

"I wanted to speak to you," said Tsuna quietly, staring at the floor and hoping that the Vindice would not spot the lie in his eyes. The temperature of the room dropped while the heat within him flared.

"Do you know who I am?" asked the Vindice breaking through the deadly silence.

"No," said Tsuna shakily. He took another deep breath to steady his voice, but the chains wrapping him squeezed him, cutting the breath short and turning it into a gasp. Tsuna gritted his teeth. He had to say it, had to get his brother and friends out of the mess he caused. And this was the only way. "I knew that your organization wouldn't listen to me any other way."

"We have already dealt with the Vongola Nono. There is no need to deal with his heir or anyone else associated with Vongola in this case."

"I want you to take me," said Tsuna bluntly. He raised his gaze and looked straight at the Vindice's bandage covered face. "Take me in my brother's place."

"Tsunayoshi-kun, I remember specifically saying that I would not leave you with them. I do not want your brother's flames," said Byakuran. Tsuna gave Byakuran a small apologetic smile, and the albino frowned. Thankfully, even Byakuran couldn't do anything to pull back Tsuna's offer, and Reborn was too busy upstairs fighting to kick Tsuna in the head for the stupidity. And Fon…Tsuna was glad his master couldn't see this…Tsuna refocused on the Vindice.

"Does the Vongola Nono approve of this trade?" asked the Vindice.

"No," Tsuna whispered, trying to push the old man's worried face from his mind. He had to do this. To secure his friends' safety, to save Tamaki, even to help Reborn and the Ninth's Vongola. Tamaki would grow to be a great boss. He would. Tsuna didn't want the position. He didn't want Vongola, or anything to do with _him_. And Tsuna's mother would be glad to have her youngest son back. And Yamamoto-san would be able to keep Takeshi from the mafia. And Gokudera…Gokudera would become the right hand man to Vongola's boss, eventually. Once Tamaki and Gokudera started getting along again. And Byakuran would go back to Italy and leave Irie-kun alone, and Fran would not have to face any more frightening situations. Everything would be fine. He _knew_ it would. "But I don't need permission. I am the imposter who tricked you."

"Rokudo Mukuro has already identified our current prisoner as the one that fought him, and the current prisoner's testimony agreed with the Rokudo Mukuro's statement. What makes you think that we would believe you?"

"You were there," said Tsuna lowly. "You should see the difference."

The Vindice's gaze had no weight. Usually, Tsuna could "feel" when a person was examining him, but as the eyes that peeked out of the bandages scanned him, Tsuna felt nothing. But then he realized that feeling wasn't just nothing. His body became numb, and his heart beat slower. His head drooped forward.

"Your trade is accepted."

Tsuna closed his eyes, though he still saw Byakuran's pinched frown and Fran's horror-filled face. He let his head fall forward, his whole boy sagging in response and being supported fully by the tight chains. The heat faded, replaced with numbing emptiness. No turmoil boiled in Tsuna's stomach, and no thoughts flew through his head. His breath adjusted itself to an even, regulated rate, and his heart gave one good, hard beat before changing into a constant murmuring sound. And then the darkness from his dreams-_nightmares_-crept across his vision, replacing the lighter black from behind his closed eyelids. And then a voice stopped the darkness' advance.

"Sorry, but you can't do that," said a (familiar) chuckling voice. The numbness receded quickly as the coldness of the chains collapsed. A hand gripped the back of Tsuna's throat and held him in place. "This one's caught Boss's eye. And so now he's off-limits for you."


	45. Concerning Possession

Chapter 45: _Concerning Possession_

Tsuna groaned as he pried his eyelids apart to see what (who) had stopped the darkness's advance. A familiar strange checkered hat filled his vision, and he realized he had been pulled him behind the strange gangly man who had literally appeared from nowhere. Tsuna didn't remember the man's name, but he recognized him as the messenger for the dangerous man from the hospital. The strange man's grin stretched around the corner of his face, but the grin somehow gave off a dangerous feel that even Byakuran's didn't reach.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Vindice.

"As usual," said the strange man standing from his crouch and taking off his hat from his head. He bowed slightly. "I am here on Checkerface-sama's behalf."

"Why is he interested in our business with Vongola's alternate heir?" asked the Vindice.

"It's the alternate part he's really interested in. He'd like to keep it that way, so much so that he suggests a trade of his own," said the strange man, this Checkerface's messenger.

"We make no deals with the Man in the Iron Hat," growled the Vindice. The growl (it couldn't be called anything else) echoed unnaturally, filled with a deep, dark note that vibrated through Tsuna, and he felt his stomach turn and nearly wretch. The strange man merely chuckled.

"Checkerface-sama, or the Man in the Iron Hat if you prefer-what a silly name you all use for him. Checkerface-sama is Checkerface-sama, fufufu. And no one can refuse a deal with Checkerface-sama. Besides he's offering you a free pass," said the strange man.

"We want none of his offers," said the Vindice, the deep note lowering into something that throbbed through Tsuna's head.

"You should probably stop that, or you'll damage both our superiors' current favorite pawn—and his friends too I suppose, kukuku," said the strange man. Tsuna glanced over to Byakuran and Fran. The albino had broken into an uncharacteristic sweat and was panting while the frog-hatted teen had curled up into a ball. Tsuna instinctively moved towards the two, taking an instant to realize that Mukuro had a pinched, pained expression, before the strange man blocked the brunette's way. The strange man's grin turned fully to Tsuna, but the dangerous edge had disappeared. "Now, now, you shouldn't be moving. It's not very easy to keep this broken one's chains off you if you move around like that. This one's the strongest these _Vindice_ have, and I'm nothing more than a messenger."

"You are hardly a mere messenger," said a new voice. A Vindice entered with a…a miniature Vindice? The mini-Vindice stood on the entering Vindice's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't have a very good memory, so maybe you should ask him. I didn't have enough time to write notes since I was going to take a shower and forgot, and then Boss called so I couldn't. I could read my grocery list if you want," said the strange man with another bizarre giggle. "It starts with tomatoes."

"Enough," said the voice that was coming from the mini-Vindice. Tsuna stared at the mini-Vindice, and he was sure that the heat had stopped working. Because otherwise it would be flaring up at this…person's presence. A clear pacifier hung around the tiny Vindice's neck. "Get out of our way."

"Nope, sorry, I can't," said the strange man, his grin regaining its sharpness. Strange that someone could have a grin whose sharpness was sharper than a Yamamoto's. "Then you'll lock Boss's new favorite fun away, and that wouldn't work. I wonder why he didn't take our advice and come here in the middle of the day? Then again, maybe he tried. I'd ask him, but he's in some sort of shock right now, so I don't think he'll be able to answer."

"Then you answer," said the mini-Vindice.

"I can't. I'm not a mind reader. Though I hear a certain sun arcobaleno is," said the strange man. "Maybe you should ask him."

"The Man in the Iron Hat has offered to make a deal for the Vongola's alternate heir," said the original Vindice.

"Leave. The Vongola's alternate heir is ours, and the interest of the Man in the Iron Hat merely raises his value in our eyes," said the mini-Vindice. "Anything we can keep out of his hands we will."

"You are all so unnecessarily mean to Boss," said the strange man, his expression becoming mock hurt. "He's never done anything to you outside of giving you the title of strongest and trusting you with the care of the world. You all should be okey-dokey."

"The boy will be better off becoming bait instead of a battery," said the mini-Vindice, his voice firm and icy. "Move, or I will make you."

"That is a threat, and all for a free pass too," said the strange man. He put a finger to his chin as if in thought, and Tsuna felt the stirrings of sick warmth rising in his stomach. "I suppose I could take him with me. Boss said to if there's no other way. And I'm not Boss's messenger for no reason. It'll spoil the fun though."

"What free pass?" asked the mini-Vindice, and Tsuna wondered if the mini-Vindice and the Vindice that tiny one was riding were getting closer or not. The strange man reached back and grabbed Tsuna's shoulder. The pressure on the shoulder didn't let Tsuna try to wiggle out of the strange man's grasp.

"The free pass that comes in exchange for Sawada Tsunayoshi's continued status as Vongola's alternate heir," said the strange man. "Hehehe, it's a good thing Sawada Tsunayoshi's so interesting, because if not, I don't think I could have remembered all that."

"And for what is this free pass?" said the mini-Vindice, and he and his ride didn't seem closer this time. Tsuna vaguely comprehended that they had stopped when the strange man had grabbed Tsuna.

"For the next competition among the strongest seven. It'll be a battle among the strongest eight. Mind you, it doesn't guarantee you a win," said the strange man, another chuckle underlining his words. "But then you have so much stronger, so it'd almost like you'd be picking on babies. Oh, that's a funny pun."

_"He would risk so much to save an alternate heir?"_ asked the mini-Vindice, his voice gaining a guttural sound.

"It's no use using another language in front of him, you know," said the strange man. The grin stretched into a thin, arced line. "His friend is translating illusionarily, and he knows quite a few languages. Which is amazing since it's not his trick originally. Boss couldn't believe that one illusionist would share his secrets with another that wasn't his student. Like I said Sawada Tsunayoshi's very interesting."

Another silence blanketed the room, and the intensity almost summoned the heat. Tsuna's stomach jerked, and Tsuna hiccupped, causing all eyes to turn to him. A heat that meant nothing but embarrassment stretched across his nose, and he almost looked away. But a second hiccup burst out, and Tsuna's breath caught. The struggle to breathe clouded other thoughts. The thin smile on the strange man morphed into a small frown as shadowed eyes came close enough for Tsuna to see glints of aqua in the dark hole-like eyes.

"My Superior didn't mention any problems," said the dark eyes and thick frown. "Maybe Sawada Tsunayoshi isn't that fun a toy after all."

"Tama…Tamaki," Tsuna whispered, not fully conscious of the thought. "Please…Tamaki…."

"Is there something wrong with your brother? But if there is, I guess there wouldn't be much point making a deal," said the strange man. Why couldn't Tsuna remember strange man's name? "No use dealing with damaged goods. It's not fair."

"Tamaki isn't…he's not…," Tsuna struggled, trying to overcome his short breath and a sudden trouble managing to form words, to form thoughts. Terror clamped coldly in his chest as the heat once again flared. Tsuna concentrated on the heat, grasping it and put back on his glasses. The effect was immediate. The heat blazed, lighting into flames on his forehead and focusing his thoughts. He turned his now hard, burning gaze on the Mini-Vindice. "Let Tamaki out."

"Our transaction has not been completed," said the mini-Vindice.

"And it won't be," said Tsuna allowing the heat to overshadow and engulf his fear. He wouldn't blame Reborn if the demon tutor attempted to kill Tsuna via training for stuttering here. Or breaking down. Tsuna couldn't, not here. His brother needed him. A deep breath to calm his erratic heart, and Tsuna managed not to stutter in his fear. "Tamaki will die."

* * *

><p>Of all the things the boy could say, those words had been most unexpected. Not perhaps because of the obvious ploy behind the words. No, Bermuda had heard such ploys before. Nor was it the words themselves. As he had said, he had heard such ploys and so such words before. No, what was different was merely the fact that Bermuda almost believed the boy. Something about the boy's tone or the sky flames burning in his irises had nearly convinced the head Vindice that the boy was indeed telling the truth, that if the other Sawada twin was not released and given proper medical care, he would indeed die. Interesting. This young boy, if nothing else, was convincing. And there would be no harm in checking to see if the boy happened to be telling the truth.<p>

"Bring the other Sawada heir here," Bermuda said. Jager immediately headed toward the door hidden at the back of the cell. Chains rattled and an identical, though paler copy of the orange eyed boy fell in front of them. The first Sawada ran to the paler one's side, but the pale child's eyes widened and he moved backwards, causing the chains around his wrists and ankles to clank. Surveying the scene, the pale Sawada caught sight of Rokudo Mukuro and flinched before moving away from the free Sawada.

"Nononono," the pale child babbled. Hiccups broke the almost senseless words and made him all but unintelligible. "Not-hic-gain. You pro-hic-sed. No -hic-re. I –hic- you. You –hic-mised."

The orange-eyed Sawada froze, but soon recovered and had his burning eyes boring into Rokudo Mukuro. The illusionist countered with an amused smirk.

"I have done nothing to him," said Rokudo Mukuro. "My jailers have not allowed me down here since I visited last week."

"Your mark, remove it," said the orange-eyed Sawada. Interesting. So Alejandro had been correct when he assumed that the prisoner Rokudo Mukuro had marked the trapped Sawada for possession.

"I would, but it's no longer there," said Rokudo Mukuro. "It hasn't been there for five days. I merely came with you to ensure that you joined your brother in this cell. Or to mark you in his place, but then you have an unexpected protector. You do make the most interesting friends, _Sawada Tsunayoshi_."

The emphasis on the name was no doubt intentional. An obvious attempt to "provide" the Vindice with information about which twin was which. So Rokudo Mukuro intended to manipulate the situation into giving the impression that he had been working for the Vindice all along. Of course, if the unchained Sawada had succeeded, the illusionist would have proceeded to escape and take advantage of the twins to cause chaos in the Mafia world. An interesting and fairly effective ploy. Rokudo Mukuro would need closer watching. Either way, the pale child's reaction and the missing marker certainly boded well. Their plan to draw _him_ out was proving very effective.

The burning orange eyes narrowed, but they changed, shifted, into a warmer shade as they returned to their owner's brother. Slowly, the orange-eyed Sawada neared the one with chains, but the pale child backed away quickly. The babbling became more incomprehensible, and the hiccups worsened. But the orange-eyed Sawada continued to close the distance between him and his brother. The pale Sawada finally relented, curling up on himself.

"Tama-kun," the orange-eyed Sawada said softly. The name caused the pale child to cringe and mumble something about "not that name" in between hiccups. Carefully, the orange-eyed Sawada placed his hand on the pale one's shoulder. The pale child's whole body jerked to move away from the hand, but the hand held firm. Leaning in close, the orange-eyed Sawada whispered something in the other's ear. Untinted brown eyes grew in size again, and the hiccups gained a wet note. Tentatively, pale arms rose upwards, hovering inches on either side of the orange-eyed Sawada and surrounding the boy with the burning orange eyes with metal link chains. And then the pale child was wrapped in his brother's embrace.

The chains drooped down from the pale child's wrist as the hovering arms bound themselves around the orange-eyed Sawada's body and returned the embrace. But then pale hands hooked their fingers into the deep blue material of the orange-eyed Sawada's kung fu uniform as the drooping chains came to life and encircled the orange-eyed Sawada's shoulders. Sobs punctuated the hiccups, but thankfully they were muffled by one of orange-eyed Sawada's shoulder. The encircling chains tightened around the orange-eyed Sawada's torso, causing the orange-eyed Sawada to flinch.

The pale child's sobs and hiccups morphed into breathy laughter, and the hooked fingers dug deep enough into the blue material to cause the orange-eyed Sawada to cry out. One clawed hand pulled the orange-eyed Sawada's shoulder closer while the other hand let the material go and grabbed the orange eyed Sawada's hair in order to twist and tilt the orange eyed Sawada's head away. The pale child opened his mouth, and teeth threatened to latch onto the exposed carotid artery. And they would have if Jager's chain had not encircled the orange eyed twin's neck.

"Nufufufu, so you were expecting me," said the pale child with a wicked smirk that didn't fit on either boy's face. "But with such bait, I could hardly ignore such an invitation."

"Let him go," said Bermuda. "And we will lock you in the lowest level."

"And if I don't," said the widely smirking Sawada.

"We will erase you from existence."

"And the Vongola heirs with me," said the pale child, the smirk turning into a shark-like grin. "You should know that this body is at its limit. The weak-willed little brat struggled against me the whole time, and the stress has caused his condition to worsen. You do know about his condition?"

"We are aware of the frequent fevers," said Bermuda, subtly gesturing for Jaque to take five steps closer to the grinning menace.

"So you don't know that the boy's condition could worsen and lead to severe kidney damage. And what has happened in the last week has certainly not helped his condition. With no medical attention, he will last fifteen minutes at best."

"Not that that's not interesting," chuckled Checkerface's pathetic stooge. "But I don't think many of us very much care what happens to that Sawada."

"He cares," said one of the two that came with the supposed Sawada Tsunayoshi. The white haired boy gestured towards his chained companion. "And I doubt that one will last long without the other. I haven't seen any other twin skies, but I can tell that tearing one from the other will cause irreparable damage."

"That is fine for us, Byakuran Gesso," said Bermuda, recognizing the boy. The Gesso heir was known to be enigmatic and dangerously intelligent. He also had hold of the Mare ring, and there had been enough evidence to support its activation. So the boy's comment held an interesting subtext, but it was still an obvious ploy. "It does not matter to us what happens to the remaining Vongola heir."

"Not even if it angers Vongola," said the young Gesso heir.

"We are not allies of Vongola," said Bermuda. He should never have allowed Vongola's influence to sway their ranks, despite their sole ownership of the Vongola rings. They needed to be treated like any other _famiglia_, as a tool to reach the Vindice's ultimate goal.

"Wow," said Checkerface's annoying stooge with a dramatic low whistle. "Boss's right. You really don't care about the fate of the world."

Bermuda said nothing. He refused to acknowledge that man's emissary anymore. Their deal would no longer work. The Vindice had what they wanted, and they would not cater to Checkerface's whims.

"The tri-ni-sette would become unbalanced without an heir to the Vongola rings," said the Gesso heir. "It is already unstable with the Mare rings lacking their proper conduit."

"We will not change our position," said Bermuda. "Daemon Spade will die in that vessel."

"Oh, and what makes you think so?" asked the rogue illusionist himself, probably hoping to plant doubt and create a way to escape. A weak ploy, especially considering Daemon Spade knew little of the secrets of the Night flame. But he did know of another secret that could be the key to overcoming Checkerface and beating the scheming creature at his own game.

"You have caused wars between 38 _famiglie_, massacred a total of 31,621 Mafiosos, destroyed 4 entire cities, and eluded our judgment 15 times," said Bermuda. "You deserve no less than the lowest level of our prison, but death will reconcile your debt to us and the Mafia world."

"No," said a quiet commanding voice. The orange-eyed Sawada lifted his head and flashed deadly serious eyes toward Bermuda. "It won't."

A yellow-tipped orange blazed from the place where the two Sawadas sat tangled in each other's awkward "embrace." Daemon Spade had yet to retract the possessed pale hands, and the orange-eyed Sawada had tightened rather than loosened his hold. Bermuda had not seen a multiple colored flame since Primo's time. Even those with multiple flames could not mix the flames to create such a bi-colored effect. Not without the closely guarded Vongola treasures that had been lost centuries ago. The blaze glowed blindingly bright, but Bermuda didn't take his eyes off the sight, allowing his bandages to take the edge off the piercing light. The possessed Sawada rocked backwards, but the other held him in place. The light dimmed, and the people around the room except for Bermuda lowered their arms from their faces. The two Sawadas slumped onto the ground before Daemon Spade abruptly jerked the possessed one up like a puppet and sent a smirk in Bermuda's direction. In an instant, the pale child was gone in a flash of colorless flame, leaving nothing but a limp, unconscious Sawada sprawled on the floor. Before Bermuda could instruct Jager to tie up the remaining Sawada, Junk burst into the room.

"Lord Bermuda, we've subdued Sawada Iemitsu," said Junk loudly, disrupting whatever silence had fallen. "But he keeps trying to escape. Small Gea is threatening to kill him, orders or no orders. Do you want him to be disposed of?"

"Bring him here," said Bermuda. He had known that the man was headed here to free his son since the man had carelessly crossed into Vendicare territory without masking his signature flame. Few Mafiosos knew how to mask their flames, but if the man's son could, then the man should also be able to accomplish it. But the man's lack of stealth had come in handy as warning, and Bermuda had originally planned to allow the others to "entertain" the CEDEF leader while he and Jager laid the trap and bait for Daemon Spade. But the plan had changed, and another tool may be needed to secure the situation. "Let us see what he would risk for his sons' lives."

"Ooooh, this really is interesting," said Checkerface's annoying stooge. Bermuda wanted to erase the creature from existence. "I wonder if Checkerface-sama will allow me to 'monitor' Sawada Tsunayoshi more closely. But Checkerface-sama always hogs the screen."

"One Sawada is no longer here, and the other is apparently possessed by Daemon Spade," said the Gesso heir with an air of amusement which was directed at the situation rather than the stooge's idiotic comment, and Bermuda's mood darkened further. "What do you plan to do now?"

"This. Jagger, restrain them," said Bermuda. Chains instantly wrapped around the Gesso heir, the remaining Sawada, and their other companion. The three vanished in a flare of indigo flame.

"Seems you're not as immune to illusions as you thought," said Checkerface's stooge with a smirk.

"So it seems. I had no idea that Sawada Tsunayoshi's allies had the ability to create such illusions," said Rokudo Mukuro. "Would you like me to find them?"

Without any need to speak the command, Jagger's chains had trapped the convicted illusionist tightly. Bermuda directed Alejandro, his current ride, over to where the illusionist now hung mummified in chains, only his head left exposed.

"Where are they?" demanded Bermuda.

"Kufufu, how would I know where they are? They didn't stop to chat with one of their enemies," said Rokudo Mukuro.

"He's right," said Checkerface's stooge. "They don't like him very much. Something about hurting their precious sky. But then he really should be able to find them. Illusionists do think alike. Or is that men? I never can remember. And with all of Checkerface-sama's current information, I didn't have a place to write it down."

A trumpeting beep sounded, and something whirled on the stooge's arm.

"Oh! Look at the time!" cried the stooge. "This keeps getting more and more interesting, but, alas, I must go. If you reconsider Boss's offer, you know how to contact us. Bye-bye!"

Checkerface's stooge disappeared, and Bermuda decided not to let the stooge irritate him further. The head Vindice turned his full attention to Rokudo Mukuro.

"You will find him," hissed Bermuda. "Or you will regret it."

* * *

><p>This trip had been more enlightening than Byakuran had anticipated. He had hoped to see Tsunayoshi in action and perhaps find a way to access and steal the flames that had caused him so much trouble in multiple dimensions. But even with the knowledge of several dimensions and outcomes, he could never have predicted this. He had manipulated his way into Tsunayoshi's allies, onto his greatest threat's side. The strategy was obvious, but Tsunayoshi had not stopped Byakuran. Instead the destined Vongola Decimo had repeatedly countered the maneuver in the worst, most devastating way possible. Tsunayoshi had simply accepted it, accepted that Byakuran wanted to get close to take, to cause harm, and had called the albino a friend anyway. Such a dangerously accepting sky.<p>

Yes, Tsunayoshi had done so partially to keep Byakuran away from the infamous Tamaki. And the small brunette had not trusted Byakuran, not enough to relax around the albino. But Tsunayoshi had allowed Byakuran to come on this trip (not that the albino had given the future mafia boss a choice) and had several times given Byakuran his back, a sign that Tsunayoshi had grown to trust that the albino wouldn't stab it. Byakuran really would have liked to boast or at the very least pretend that he had finally fooled his favorite opponent, but for someone who liked to manipulate and control the situation, deceiving oneself was deadly. Tsunayoshi's pull had proven too strong. He, Byakuran the master manipulator of multiple universes, had fallen under his favorite opponent's sway.

Some might take that to mean that Tsunayoshi somehow had control over the albino, the ability to command Byakuran, to hold Byakuran's utter and complete will in his gloved hands. Those people were morons. Anyone who spent any time in Tsunayoshi's little "family's" presence could see the foolishness of such a statement. Of all people, Byakuran should know. He'd seen his opponent's power in various dimensions. Few had received the loyalty that Tsunayoshi could effortlessly inspire. And the naïve brunette did not earn it through manipulation or some magic word or touch. Tsunayoshi's pull was not that of a puppet master entangling his poor unsuspecting victims. No, it was far more dangerous than that.

Tsunayoshi simply and almost obliviously offered something that all of his little "family" (and Byakuran did not like to admit it, but himself as well) lacked. Something every human craved for whatever reason: acceptance and care. A safe place. Someone to count on. An unjudgmental ear and a kind eye. Even full of mistrust, those eyes seemed to look for what might be good lying beneath the surface.

Like Byakuran had said before, Tsunayoshi was a dangerous sky, and self-deception was a fatal flaw for a master manipulator. Byakuran had indulged in it, had allowed himself to ignore the signs, to think that he who knew his opponent best would not fall for such weak attempts of kindness and friendship. The mere thought made him want to slowly tear into someone mentally and leave them a babbling, slobbering mess. But Tsunayoshi had Byakuran where the brunette had cornered so many. Byakuran had grown to become…concerned for the pitiful self-destructive brunette. And the albino knew too well that concern was the first step down a long road to caring for the Vongola Decimo. Byakuran could see no other way out but to make sure that Tsunayoshi could leave here intact and reclaim his brother so that the albino could remove himself from the situation before it became too much. He was no puppy or domesticated predator, and he didn't plan on becoming one.

"Sempai, I'm scared," whimpered Fran. The stupid frog-hatted teen was shaking and quivering. Oh no, the baby illusionist wasn't scared. Fran was terrified.

"You should focus on helping keep the illusion in place," said Byakuran. "Unless you prefer nightly visits from shades of the Vindice."

"But they already dispelled it," said Fran, the senseless quiver making into his voice.

"Then we should hurry, shouldn't we?" said Byakuran, making sure to give the shaking teen his most dangerous smile. Fran sped up, pulling Tsunayoshi's arm into a parallel position to the one Byakuran was holding. Tsunayoshi would gain some bruises from the way they were dragging him, but Byakuran wasn't to the point of caring yet. And he wouldn't reach that point if they could reach the cell where the others were being held. They had to have been captured at this point, and according to the traces of his extensive experience he had memorized, they should be held in the cell on the first floor where that reckless illusionist Mukuro had put that escape. Not that they would be trusting Mukuro's former escape tunnel to get out of this place. Irie-kun's back-up plan should work nicely at this point. If not, Byakuran would haunt the inventor's dreams for the rest of eternity.

They reached the door, still invisible to all thanks to the Indigo Augurio. The Augurios were something that Byakuran could have benefitted from if this dimension didn't differ so much from others. If the Gesso _famiglia_ boss had not hired that man. If scars didn't run up and down the albino's back. But they did, and that man had been hired. Even dead, the man didn't cease tearing apart Byakuran's well-laid plans. The door swung open, and two Vindice exited and headed up the hall, thankfully away from the three since the two guards might have stumbled over one of them and revealed their location. Only one Vindice remained inside the cell. So they had decided to scour the entire prison for them. Byakuran grinned. How better to aid their escape than to spread thin their forces?

He lead the trembling baby illusionist into the cell and after a quick glance around, straight to where the loyal puppy and swordsman sat tied in chains right as the remaining Vindice closed the door. The two were awake and tense, and the loyal puppy must have been annoying his captors since a gag had been stuffed into the bomber's mouth. Byakuran's grin took on a mischievous edge as the albino neared the bomber. Stopping centimeters from the bomber, Byakuran blew a blast of air into the bomber's ear. The puppy's whole body jerked, and the bomber's green eyes went from wide eyed startled to narrowed glare quickly as Byakuran came into the bomber's focus. The bomber nudged his fellow captive and jerked his head in their direction, and the swordsman instantly caught sight of them. The loyal swordsman must have been expecting them then.

"Do you have Irie-kun's toy?" asked Byakuran in a barely audible whisper that sounded very much like an unconscious sky. The puppy continued to glare but nodded. The albino pouted at the non-reaction to his attempted imitation and reached for the tiny white box on the side of the bomber's belt. The door opened, and Byakuran quickly snatched the box and placed a green one in the bomber's hand.

"They're here?" said the head Vindice. So Bermuda had found a way to track them. They needed to escape here soon.

"You asked me where they could be, and given the illusions they used lead here, this is my best answer," said Mukuro. Red and indigo eyes fell on Byakuran, and an annoyingly familiar smirk curved beneath them. "Perhaps you should look by those two."

Bermuda's gaze fell on them, and he instantly recognized them. Chains zipped towards them. A triple-layered sphere made of lightening flames surrounded them. The chains crashed against them. The shield would hold for a minute and a half at best. But they wouldn't be here that long. Byakuran let the illusion drop fully as he pushed the box into Fran's hand. The albino then pulled on Tsunayoshi's arm and caused the unconscious brunette to knock into the puppy hard enough to cause bruises on both sides, a small price for making Byakuran aid their escape. Turning back to Fran, Byakuran pumped the full extent of his flames into the thick white disc that Fran had released from the box. Staying conscious would make no difference if Irie-kun's little experiment failed. And if Byakuran awoke in one of the Vendicare's famous cells, a certain red-head inventor would suffer from night terrors for the rest of his life because Tsunayoshi would crumble under the guilt of their incarcerations and collapse into an unattractively blank state of mind which would make any night terrors hard to produce. The thought that perhaps Byakuran would not want to visit night terrors on such a pitifully crushed Tsunayoshi was acknowledged and pushed aside in favor of the irritatingly relieved face that Irie-kun would make when they all reached safety.

The flames grew brighter and more intense, but the white disc didn't spin. It didn't even click forward. Fran's flames joined Byakuran's, but the stalwart inner disc stayed in place. An angry frown nearly took over Byakuran's features as he realized that Irie-kun's little invention needed more juice. Byakuran glared at the flames through an increasingly stretched smile as he inwardly dove past his weakening wall of self-deceit. He focused on the image that had been used back in the cell with an unconscious Tsunayoshi. The flickering, orange flame, the one that warmed and offered light to even its worst enemies, being yanked out of reach from those threatening chains along with that irritatingly enigmatic indigo one. No one could touch those two flames but Byakuran. Byakuran's flames grew in quantity and intensity. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, a question of what such possessiveness meant, of how it sounded like perhaps he was too late in considering escaping. Tsunayoshi's pull already held him in its power. He already cared. And if that fact produced such intense, pure flames, then what did it matter?

Water lapped against something more solid, and the wind blew salt onto Byakuran's lips. Irie-kun's little experiment had worked. The redheaded inventor had avoided a life of being unable to sleep. Byakuran collapsed onto the ground and grimaced as another's weight fell on top of him. If Fran was still on Byakuran when he next woke, the baby illusionist would be getting several nightly visits from Vindice specters, one of which would resemble Bermuda. Then again, perhaps Byakuran would add cloaked chimera and solid chains to their next lesson. A worried voice and a flash of green eyes were all Byakuran's mind registered before a restorative blackness.

* * *

><p><em>The Legends of the Seven Augurios:<em>

**Red Augurio (aka Tempest Augurio)**

Current holder: Unknown

Abilities: Supposedly the most dangerous of the Augurios. Depending on the user's affinity (or rather sky flame) it can either dismantle an object or disintegrate it to dust. It hasn't been seen since Primo's time, when it was said to have been disposed of by its first holder.

**Orange Augurio (aka Ciel Augurio)**

Current holder: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Abilities: The most mysterious of the Augurios. Rumored to have (to a lesser extent) the same abilities as the others, but no one knows since only the Primo had ever been able to use it before it was supposedly lost by Primo's grandson.

**Yellow Augurio (aka Sol Augurio)**

Current holder: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Abilities: The most fought over Augurio. It is said to cure even the worst of illnesses, though for a price. That price changes from one case to another, but it has been known to save one life for another's death. This Augurio has cropped up from time to time as a Catholic Church relic until it was stolen by a former priest.

**Green Augurio (aka Elektro Augurio)**

Current Holder: Unknown

Abilities: This one has the darkest history. It is said to be able to power a small city for a week for the price of a human life. A certain noble family supposedly used it to power their mansion for generations, before the nobles' servants killed the family in their sleep to keep the servant's children from being used for fuel. The Augurio disappeared in the following chaos.

**Blue Augurio (aka Ame Augurio)**

Current Holder: Yamamoto Takeshi

Abilities: Passed down from generation to generation, it stayed in Japan but wasn't used. However, the original holder was rumored to be able to calm the worst of enemies or put people to sleep. No one is sure since no one has used it since.

**Indigo Augurio (aka Augurio Vaporizzante)**

Current Holder: Sawada Tsunayoshi

Abilities: This one was said to have disappeared almost as soon as it was made. But then it is supposed to be able to make a person invisible as long as no one knew the person was there. The concentration needed to see the person the Augurio is making invisible depends on the strength and affinity the user has with the Augurio, or so the story goes.

**Violet Augurio (aka Nuage Augurio)**

Current Holder: Yamamoto Takeshi

Abilities: Like the Red Augurio, it hasn't been seen since the Primo's time. But some people say the original Head of the CEDEF used it to make enough supplies for his organization on a daily basis. No one is sure, though stories generally agree that this Augurio can multiply objects. The durability and number of objects differ from person to person.


	46. Failing to Do More

Chapter 46: _Failing_ _To Do More_

Shoichi instantly pushed Fran off Byakuran. The inventor didn't want to think about what would happen if the albino woke up with the frog-hatted teen on top of him. Carefully laying Fran across the deck, Shoichi checked both Byakuran and Fran for injuries as Hana walked over to where Tsuna lay tangled with a barely conscious and chain-wrapped Gokudera, her face steadily changing from green to pale. Shoichi kept Hana's actions in the corner of his eye as he took out the oblong device from his pocket.

He had not had a chance to name it yet (and he would not go with the Flare no matter what Fran suggested-it was much more than that), but he had managed to work out the kinks yesterday. He hoped. The transportation device had worked. Tsuna, Byakuran, and the others were safe and sound on the deck of the ship. The disk-like device had kept them from harm. A small smile of relief bloomed on Shoichi's face. This one would work too. Byakuran had helped with the schematics for the transportation disk, and so Shoichi hadn't been entirely sure of its success. But he's been tinkering with this idea almost since he discover alloy 51. The activation ability that the bright yellow flames used had so many possibilities that Shoichi had had trouble pulling away from experiments dealing with the other flames. And when Tsuna had allowed Shoichi to examine the Sol Augurio, the possibilities had expanded. The oblong object was the result of that examination and the need of what would probably occur when Tsuna and the others returned. Hana had been right. They didn't come back without injuries, though Shoichi didn't know enough about human anatomy to know what was wrong with them than perhaps exhaustion. Plus, two of Tsuna's "family" were still missing. Three if Tamaki was with the two arcobaleno. Shoichi knew that this device could probably help with both problems.

The oblong object sparked and then poured out yellow flames, zooming and spiraling upward. The not-only-a-flare showered the ship in flames, filling Shoichi and hopefully the others in the itchy warmth that was associated with healing. The device continued upward stopped two miles above their heads. Hopefully the two missing arcobaleno would be in a position to see the signal and return. If not—

"It looks like it worked," said Hana, catching Shoichi's attention. "The old man will probably move the ship soon, so I will probably need some help keeping these idiots from falling overboard."

"Just grab Tsuna-sama, stupid wench," growled Gokudera. He appeared to have benefitted from the yellow flames, since he no longer looked like he would fall unconscious. But then he might just look better because Tsuna wasn't unconscious crushing the bomber's head, and the oblong device could only help the body heal itself which meant that either the bomber's injuries weren't that serious or Gokudera was ignoring the more serious ones. Shoichi wasn't sure which was true when it came to the bomber. "I'll keep the Sword Freak from falling off."

"That's full right. I'll see sure Goku-pochi placed on floating," said Takeshi, his words slurring. "Otouto hungry for stethoscope-shot."

Hana stared at the former baseball player before raising an eyebrow in Gokudera's direction.

"The Sword Freak's been babbling like that since we were captured," said Gokudera gesturing to the chains with his head.

"So you don't know what's wrong," said Hana, putting Tsuna's head into her lap. Shoichi moved to secure Byakuran and Fran so neither would roll off the boat at full speed. "And the moronic monkey king?"

Gokudera shrugged and scowled, directing a glare at the unconscious form of Byakuran.

"The Marshmallow Freak came in with an unconscious Tsuna-sama, and a pineapple haired illusionist saw through the Frog Weirdo's illusion and exposed us to the Vindice. "

"And then you used Irie-kun's teleportation disc," said Hana contemplatively. The ship lurched forward, and Hana's face regained its green twinge. The Vongola Ninth steered the ship like a madman, inserting it into a hidden cove of rocks near one of the island's snowy mountains. Lancia had mentioned how Mukuro had hidden an escape boat that they had used to get off the island. Presumably, the Vindice didn't know of its existence.

"If you're going to throw up, do it elsewhere, wench," said Gokudera, and Shoichi flinched. Hana immediately narrowed her eyes, and her color changed to a reddish-greenish-brown that the inventor hadn't even known was possible on a human face.

"I see you're fine," said the female. Moving over to Takeshi, she somehow loosened the chains that trapped the delirious swordsman. She grabbed his shoulder and made him focus on her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I kid. Can I trade Otouto?" asked Takeshi. "Tug-tug-heavy feel isn't popping wrong."

Letting go of Takeshi's shoulder, Hana sighed. She then glared at Gokudera.

"I will release you, but you had better describe the situation in more detail when the Vongola Ninth gets down from the bridge," said Hana. She gestured over to Shoichi and then back to Takeshi. "See if you can figure out what's wrong with him from those medical books the creepy albino monkey forced you to read."

Nodding, Shoichi headed for Takeshi when the boat shook. A figure now stood in the center of the deck, and upon realizing who it was, Shoichi nearly hid behind the nearest body, conscious or unconscious.

"Hey, Bird-and-Beating!" said Takeshi with a wave. The figure sent a blank, almost irritated look to the swordsman before striding towards Tsuna. Shoichi had an irrational urge to stop him, but Tsuna had repeated over and over that the raven-haired teen wouldn't ever really hurt Tsuna. Injure sure, hurt no. Honestly, Shoichi didn't see a difference, but Tsuna did. Sometimes Shoichi wondered if Tsuna was imagining things or if the brunette actually saw things that no one else did. The raven-haired prefect yanked Tsuna up by the shirt of his kung fu uniform and bashed Tsuna over the head with a tonfa. Apparently, Tsuna was imagining things.

"Ow…," Tsuna whimpered. Brown eyes blinked before they registered the figure before them. "Hibari?"

The prefect dropped the brunette, who let out another "ow" as he fell completely backwards. Rubbing his head (Shoichi worried that Tsuna would end up with permanent brain damage if such abuse continued), Tsuna sat up and stared at Hibari before the brown eyes widened and scanned the area. Both disappointment and relief filled the brown gaze, but it disappeared in a cringe as another tonfa hit Tsuna's head.

"Hibari, please don't tell me you came all the way out here for our daily fight," said Tsuna wearily, keeping his head covered with his hands. The sight reassured Shoichi, since apparently Tsuna saw the dangers of brain damage and did try to take steps to avoid them.

"Did you defeat the trespassing carnivores?" asked the prefect.

"No," said Tsuna as the brown eyes disappeared under the over long bangs. Shoichi sort of wished that Hana would go through with her threat and cut them off.

"Herbivore," said Hibari, his grey eyes flashing dangerously in a way that would have anyone in Namimori running in the opposite direction. Tsuna stiffened and cringed again, but he didn't look up. Hana stepped in between the two.

"If you're here, make yourself useful," said Hana. "It's either that or go back to wherever you came from."

"Where did he come from?" asked Shoichi before realizing he had spoken out loud. He quickly felt cornered between the correcting dark brown glare and the hard steel grey stare.

"We came on a jetboat," said a new voice, relieving Shoichi of the two intense gazes. "Hibari insisted on making sure that the trespassers to Namimori were taken care of."

"We aren't here to try fighting those monsters," said Hana, crossing her arms and shifting to pin both intruders with her glare. It helped that the newcomer with the pompadour hairstyle was right behind Hibari. Glimpsing behind them, Shoichi thought he could see a rope ladder. Somehow, they had tied a weight to the end of the rope ladder and managing to get it "anchored" to the inside of the ship's deck so that the other side would hang down the side. The newcomer had probably used that to board the ship, but a rope bridge didn't explain how Hibari had appeared in the middle of the deck. The only other way Shoichi could think of was jumping onto the deck from wherever the prefect's ship was, but it would be impossible to make such a jump. Or rather, it should be impossible...

"But you did," said Kusakabe, glancing at Tsuna, Takeshi, and Gokudera. "Perhaps it was a good thing that that man insisted on coming with us."

The sentence had a scowl forming on Hibari's usually emotionless face, and a hand appeared on the edge of the boat, right beside the rope ladder. A man grunted as he pulled himself over the side and into the ship. He wore a lab coat and looked slightly familiar.

"Has no one taught you two to have respect for your elder who can't climb as fast as you? Slow down," said the man. "This is why I hate men. They have no respect."

"Che. Like anyone should have respect for some grimey old pervert," said Gokudera. The man's gaze narrowed as it zoomed onto Gokudera before gaining a wicked light.

"I see someone finally found a way to deal with you, brat," said the man. "I wouldn't have thought of chains, but I suppose there're more comfortable than the door idea you had once."

"Shut up, stupid pervert!" growled Gokudera, his cheeks flaming.

"Maybe if you ask nice—" The man had to spin to the side to avoid a tonfa and stumbled backwards, falling onto some ropes.

"You're too noisy," said Hibari. "Prepare to be bitten to death."

"I would, but I don't think you'll be in much state to bite anyone if I don't give you the antidote for what one of my mosquitos just did," said the man, amusement in the subtleties of his face. He caught sight of Hana and quickly stood and walked around the suddenly frozen prefect to make his way to her. With a deep bow, he smiled cheekily. "I don't think I had an opportunity to introduce myself. I am—"

"Dr. Shamal, Namimori Middle's current school nurse and the idiot monkey's doctor friend," said Hana, cutting him off. Irie stared, surprised to meet a man he'd only heard of in Gokudera's annoyed grumbling. The man frowned. Hana continued before he could say anything. "What are you doing here? According to the idiot monkey, you only treat women."

"First, I am Namimori Middle's school _doctor_," said Dr. Shamal, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "Second, I heard Tsunayoshi had dragged a delicate flower such as yourself on such a dangerous mission, and I could not live with myself unless I made sure you made it back to Namimori unharmed."

"Delicate flower?" said Hana with a flat look. "That's the best material you have? Most real women in this century would be insulted to be called a delicate anything and 'flower' is an overused metaphor."

Gokudera laughed, earning a glare from Dr. Shamal.

"Keep laughing, and I won't look over your precious 'boss,'" said the doctor. Gokudera immediately became silent, his face stretching into a mixture of disbelief and surprise. Dr. Shamal smirked and walked over to where Tsuna was. The teen with the pompadour blocked the doctor's path.

"What did you do to Kyoya?" asked the unknown teen.

"Let's just say that the boats movement doesn't agree with him at the moment," said the doctor. "And if you don't move, you might experience the effects first hand."

"Do you have the antidote?"

"Yes, I do. Like I said before, I don't treat men, but I do fix my mistakes. Whether subduing your friend was a mistake or not can be debated. He was being a bit too violent for the good of everyone on this ship."

The unknown teen nodded but then hesitated to move.

"It's called Extreme Motion Sickness," said the doctor. "And it had been described as an excruciating experience."

"Will you do the same to Sawada?" asked the unknown teen. The doctor stared at him. "You say you don't treat men."

"I am hardly going to _treat_ the young Sawada. I am merely going to examine him," said Dr. Shamal.

"It's okay, Kusakabe-san," said Tsuna at the still hesitating teen. "Dr. Shamal has helped…examining me before."

Glancing and scanning Tsuna over his shoulder, the teen with the pompadour slowly moved out of the doctor's path and towards Hibari who hadn't moved. The doctor snorted and headed towards Tsuna. Something metal flashed in the air and landed on Tsuna. Shoichi moved closer to see what it-they-were. Three small mosquito-like machines flew off Tsuna's arms and neck and landed on the doctor's outstretched hand. Shoichi wasn't sure, but he thought he saw several other flashes of metal inside the doctor's palm, but the man had blocked the view of his palm by shifting the hand slightly. Dr. Shamal pulled out a small box where Shoichi caught a glimpse of several small tubes with machinery attached to each before the doctor blocked the view again. Dr. Shamal must have some connections to the mafia too, since he seemed to sense when Shoichi was staring at him. Looking inside the box, the doctor frowned.

"This is exactly why I don't treat men," said Dr. Shamal. "They don't take care of their bodies. Not like the sweet honeys."

"Dr. Shamal, could you look over Takeshi? He's been talking and not making se—"

"He has aphasia. Something scrambled his brain waves in a manner close to brain trauma without the physical evidence," said Dr. Shamal, taking out something else out of his lab coat pocket. "It should be temporary. Here."

A packet fell into Tsuna's lap. Tsuna blinked and looked between the packet and the man whose face had gone blank.

"They're your biotics," said Dr. Shamal. "Take a double dose. You've redone some of the damage and forced your body past its limits. I assume you did something that required a good amount of your flames."

Tsuna nodded, not looking the doctor in the eyes.

"Take those. They should keep your body from shutting off between here and Namimori," said Dr. Shamal. "If you die, those teachers of yours will never leave me alone, and I don't want to hear the brat whine."

"I don't whine," muttered Gokudera loud enough for the entire boat to hear. The doctor smirked.

"Will these work on anyone?" asked Tsuna, and Dr. Shamal quickly turned narrowed eyes onto the quiet brunette. Tsuna gestured the unconscious Byakuran and Fran. "They overused their flames too."

"Che, men are so annoying," said Dr. Shamal, running his hands through his hair in an irritated manner, before realizing what he was doing and patting it back into place. "I have more, so you use those and I'll give those two some when they wake up."

"But I thought you didn't treat men," said Shoichi. His stomach churned under the man's glare.

"I am not treating them," said the doctor. "If I wanted to treat them, they would be cured."

"Dr. Shamal," said the Vongola Ninth, coming down from the bridge. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

The doctor opened his mouth to answer when suddenly the entire cove became blinded in light, and two figures leapt onto the ship, one dashing up onto the bridge and the other shooting wildly at the direction they had come from. The shooting figure, Reborn, glanced at Byakuran and Fran and cursed, before turning to the doctor.

"Cover our escape," the hitman commanded.

"You know my flames are not strong enough to create something like that," said the doctor. Reborn cursed again and turned dangerous obsidian eyes onto Shoichi and then Hana.

"Grab the Indigo _Augurio_ and give it to him," commanded the hitman, his tone fraying into a yell. Without hesitation, Hana hurried over to Byakuran and pried something out of the albino's hand. She then tossed it to the doctor, who caught it with some difficulty since the throw had gone wide. The hitman emptied several more glowing rounds into a stone crag. "Use it!"

The Augurio suddenly blazed with indigo flames and covered the entire ship in a dense fog. The ship lurched, speeding away from the cove and the sudden fog, but a chain nearly caught the railing. Reborn shot it, causing the chain to flop into the water. And then hand gripped Shoichi's shoulder painfully.

"Stop the ship," hissed a dark voice. Reborn spun his gun in Shoichi's direction and shot. The bullet missed the inventor and the owner of the hand as Shoichi's captor pulled them both out of the way. The bullet dug itself into Tsuna's forehead. A flame lit the place where the bullet hit, and orange eyes blazed beneath it.

"Enough," said Tsuna, the word echoing across the bridge. Orange flames licked his finger orange gloves. A familiar fear crept up Shoichi's throat and upset the inventor's stomach at the glowing orange gaze directed itself towards him. "Let him go."

"Only once you agree to our terms, Sawada Tsunayoshi," said the dark voice, and Shoichi thought that the direction of the voice sounded off. It wasn't coming from the hand, the voice was too much to the left.

"I am tired of your terms," said Tsuna, disappearing from sight. He reappeared beside Shoichi, but the brunette martial artist had to leap over a chain that nearly ran him through. Darkness overcame Shoichi's view, and suddenly the inventor and his captor were behind Tsuna. Tsuna barely managed to dodge the blow from Shoichi's captor's free fist. He didn't dodge the kick. The deck cracked and groaned under the impact of Tsuna's body. A small black shoe connected with the hand holding Shoichi, causing Shoichi's captor to let the inventor fall onto the deck, thankfully with less force than Tsuna. A chain whipped towards Shoichi, but Tsuna grabbed it out of the air and stopped its movement. Ice bloomed from the spot where Tsuna gripped the chain, and the chain was yanked out of Tsuna's hold.

"So you've learned the First Vongola's technique," said the voice, and a small figure wrapped in a cloak like the rest of the Vindice appeared in from of Tsuna. "You are still far from challenging us."

A red blur interposed itself between the small Vindice and Tsuna.

"Perhaps my student is," said Fon, "but I am not."

"You cannot stop me," said the small Vindice.

"It is hard to believe something you have not yet experienced," said Fon, becoming a red blur again that seemed to spin into a whirlwind of fire and attacked the small Vindice.

"Move," hissed an urgent voice, startling Shoichi. Hana's glare didn't let him jerk away from the tall girl. "We're too close, and we need to get Takeshi, Hibari, and that creepy duo of yours below deck where they won't get in the way."

Shoichi nodded, hurrying over to help the teen with the pompadour get the unconscious Byakuran downstairs. The doctor already had Fran in the door that lead below deck, and Hibari was wildly swinging at Takeshi who grinned and pretended to dodge the prefect's badly aimed blows. Whatever the doctor had given the prefect must have really affected Hibari if the prefect's tonfas were aimed at the swordsman rather than the intruders. Over the last week and half, Shoichi had come to know that the head prefect of Namimori never passed up a fight. Glancing over his shoulder, Shoichi could barely make out what was happening on the other side of the deck.

The ship was still moving fast, so the deck was bouncing as were the several fighting figures. Shoichi strained his eyes to catch sight of Tsuna who was dodging chains and trying (and failing) to land several blows on either Vindice while Fon didn't move in time to avoid a blow to one of his legs. Reborn shot the larger Vindice and kicked a chain away from his head and onto another chain that nearly pierced Tsuna's arm. The fighters became entangled with the chains, and Shoichi struggled to see what was going on and ended up tripping over the first stair.

"Pay attention to what you are doing," said the teen with the pompadour. "You'll end up dropping him."

"I-I'm sorry," said Shoichi, his already churning stomach clenching. Closer up, the teen with the pompadour looked frightening, but the sounds of the fight drew Shoichi's gaze back over the inventor's shoulder.

"There's nothing you can do," said the older teen, forcing Shoichi's attention back to the stairs. "If you go back, you will merely become a liability."

Shoichi stared at the older teen as he recalled Hana's exact words. She had sounded more worried about getting him away from the fight than she had been about getting Byakuran, Fran, and Takeshi below deck. She had realized that Shoichi staying where he was would have caused problems, would have created an opening for the enemy. Shoichi, the supposed genius, had simply stood there looking like an idiot. And for what? The inventor hated violence. Fights made his stomach churn and turn violently. Why would he sit there watching Tsuna and his teachers fight, putting them and himself in danger? Why did he want to go back? Putting Byakruan down carefully (the inventor wasn't so preoccupied as to forget that angering the albino would not end well), Shoichi gazed back at the stairs.

"I don't suggest going back up there," said the doctor, appearing beside Shoichi and making the redhead jump. "I don't treat men, and you would probably die without medical care."

"Are you going back?" asked Shoichi.

"My mosquitos won't work on them," said the doctor, his voice gaining a dark, serious tone. "Whatever they are, they aren't human."

Shoichi gazed back towards the stairs, trying to figure out why the urge to return had grown even as the inventor's stomach would probably empty itself of all its contents very soon.

"It's hard," said the teen with the pompadour, his eyes trailed over to Hibari whose tonfas kept missing Takeshi to the prefect's mounting frustration. "And letting them fight without you never gets easier."

"Heh, you could try reaching their level," said the doctor.

"I've tried. But there are levels one is never supposed to reach," said the older teen.

"What do you mean?" asked Shoichi, a realization gnawing for attention in the back of his mind.

"I guess I should have known you were rather clueless seeing as you get along so well with the brat," said the doctor, looking Shoichi over. The man brought up a hand to rub his chin "But then I guess most people wouldn't mistake you for a fighter."

Considering Shoichi hated fights, he certainly hoped no one would mistake him for a fighter. He was an inventor and maybe a strategist. He had liked Byakuran's Choice because of the many ways the pieces could go and the challenge of discovering which arrangement and plan would lead to victory. The idea had transferred itself easily to the actual strategy, and Shoichi had been surprised to see how easily he could keep track of the multiple outcomes from the various actions. The confidence that followed his suggested strategy had shocked him as well. But seeing how his first strategy had gone, that confidence was obviously baseless. And now he stood staring at what he could see of the deck completely helpless. He wouldn't last half a second in a fight, and for the first time, Shoichi wished he could.

"So what does the brat's boss have you doing?" asked the doctor.

"I'm…I…" Shoichi started. He gulped, hoping to settle his stomach enough to formulate a reasonable answer. "I invent, and I…I helped with the strategy."

"Not bad, kid," said the doctor, and the man's eyes suddenly grew strangely intense. And then Dr. Shamal gave Shoichi a condescending smirk. "Not bad."

Shoichi's stomach rumbled a note the redhead couldn't fully recognize. It burned and pushed a sharp heat to his cheeks. His lips tugged downward even as the words tumbled from his mouth.

"I could do more," said Shoichi. He looked back up the stairs. "I should do more."

"More? Sounds pretty daring, kid," said the doctor, the smirk becoming less sharp and more…pleased? "Maybe you and me could talk when this is all over. It would be interesting to see these Boxes the brat keeps going on about."

A sharp crack broke the conversation, and the view to the deck was blocked. Shoichi's stomach regained its normal lurch. For now, Shoichi could only sit and wait, but next time…maybe next time, he could do more.


	47. Hard Decisions

Chapter 47: _Hard Decisions_

The fight took less than five minutes. The original two Vindice, the large one and the one who had a clear pacifier around his neck (an eighth pacifier?), had been bad enough, but then seven others had appeared from nowhere as the Vindice always could and surrounded them. Even after Hibari and Gokudera had managed to join them at the last minute, they had not stood a chance. Fon had known that it was a losing fight from the beginning, even back when both him and Reborn had been distracting the cloaked creatures back through the mountains. But back then, they had not needed to win. They had only needed to survive until they received the signal, and they had. And then the terms had changed.

Everyone who had heard of the Vindice had known they were impassive judges. They rarely strayed from their Vendicare, and even when they did, they only did for short periods of time. No one knew why, but that was how the Vindice worked. If one wanted a criminal imprisoned, then one had to subdue the criminal oneself and then call the Vindice. Only after the criminal was subdued did the Vindice come as the specters they were and take the criminal away. The Vindice captured, but they did not chase. But here, they had chased. They had chased Fon and Reborn to the ship, and then had called reinforcements to surround and trap them. Whatever they wanted from Tsuna, or Tamaki, was important, and Fon regretted agreeing to this mission.

"Are you ready to hear our terms now, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" asked the one with the clear pacifier. Tsuna didn't answer, and Fon glanced at Reborn. By the darkening look on the hitman's face, Fon could guess that Tsuna's thoughts were leading the boy down the wrong path again.

"What do you want from us?" asked Fon, careful not to tug at the chains surrounding him.

"Nothing," the clear pacifier's owner answered. "We want something from your student."

"Release us," said Tsuna, his eyes burning orange, but the color looked duller than usual. Fon had noticed that the boy had barely used his flames in the fight, and the martial artist suspected that whatever Dr. Shamal had done had not fully recovered the boy's flames. Which was why most of Fon's focus in the battle had been covering for his faltering student. But he couldn't cover for the boy now, despite how much he wished to. A freelance assassin did not have much value in the eyes of the likes of the Vindice, arcobaleno or not. The dull burning eyes bore firmly, if not fiercely, into the clear pacifier's owner. "Then I will listen to your terms."

"You don't decide that!" yelled another Vindice. "And show respect to Bermuda-sama!"

"Silence, Junk," said the clear pacifier's owner. Perhaps his name was Bermuda then? "He has a point, though, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You have no say in this matter."

"He might not, but I do," said the Ninth Vongola. Fon suddenly understood the wisdom behind the man's decision to stay out of the fight earlier. Perhaps the boss of Vongola could hold some sway where they could not. The rumors of the Ninth Vongola's tactical wisdom were not exaggerated. The man must have also known that the fight was doomed from the start. "You are currently holding Vongola's only viable heir. Release him, or the whole of Vongola will start a war against the Vindice."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi has attempted to release a prisoner from our custody and caused great damage to Vendicare. He will pay for these crimes," said this Bermuda.

"Then you will accept a proper payment. You cannot leave Vongola without an heir," said the Ninth. A minute of silence followed, and then Tsuna collapsed onto the floor free of his restraints. "The others too."

"They are the payment," said Bermuda.

"No!" Tsuna cried, but the Ninth had strategically placed himself next to the boy and had grabbed the boy's shoulder hard enough to make Tsuna still.

"I said a proper payment," said the Ninth, low and hard. "One that considers the fact that you used one of Vongola's heirs, alternate or not, as bait to catch an elusive criminal without Vongola's express permission and then allowed said criminal to escape with full control over that Vongola heir."

"You wish us to repay you for these actions by freeing all those connected with Sawada Tsunayoshi's attempt to free his brother," said Bermuda after another beat of silence.

"Yes," said the Ninth. Chains quickly loosened, and Fon landed safely on the deck. Kyoya had landed more awkwardly and immediately moved to attack, but Fon jumped onto the teen's shoulder to keep Kyoya in place. Steel grey glared at the martial artist, but Fon stared back passively and steadily. Kyoya retracted his tonfas and looked away. Apparently the bomber had exhausted all his energy because he barely stood to his feet and looked ready to fall at any moment.

"We will not leave until Sawada Tsunayoshi hears our terms," said Bermuda. The Ninth nodded and let go of Tsuna's shoulder to give the boy a gentle push forward.

"Let the others go below deck first," said Tsuna, and Reborn had instantly taken his seat on Tsuna's head.

"We're not going anywhere, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. Tsuna opened his mouth, but Reborn kicked him. For once, Fon found himself glad for Reborn's harsh manner. Tsuna needed it sometimes.

"We will only state our terms to Sawada Tsunayoshi and the Ninth Vongola Corazza Timoteo," said the Vindice. "Outside interference will not be accepted."

"We will not leave the Vongola boss and his only heir unprotected," said Reborn.

"Do you doubt our word?" asked the Vindice, the temperature seeming to drop at the sound of his voice.

"Reborn," said the Ninth, "We will hear the Vindice's terms."

The silence seemed to freeze the air. The hitman's hat hid his expression from Fon, and the Ninth Vongola's face didn't change. However, a hard, determined glint stole into the boss's eyes, and Reborn had Leon in his hand, still in the form of a gun. Neither of them moved, but Fon could see the silent conversation, no argument, between the two. Years had passed since Fon had wanted Reborn to succeed at something, but the hitman needed to keep them here. Tsuna's solid stance which would fool most eyes was too stiff, too tense to Fon's eyes. He wouldn't survive long in a fight against I-pin, let alone several Vindice. And knowing Tsuna, the boy was preparing to do something unacceptable. Part of Fon wanted to copy his colleague's method and physically attempt to knock some sense into their student, but the martial artist knew it would be ineffective. Tsuna needed a hard push and a soft pull to come to grow into the man the boy had the potential to be. A sharp green-yellow glow marked the end of the silent argument as Leon shifted back into his chameleon form. Reborn leapt off Tsuna's head and walked towards the door that lead to the ship's bridge.

"You will get an extra hour of training when we return, Dame Tsuna," said Reborn, sending a dark look over his shoulder to their student. Tsuna reflexively cringed and missed when the dark look shifted for an instant to the Ninth. In any other situation, Fon would have been amused by Reborn's growing protectiveness, but the martial artist was more worried about leaving Tsuna here to face the Vindice with only the Vongola Ninth. The man had yet to prove whether he cared for Tsuna as a possible Vongola heir or For Tsuna as Tsuna. The stories and reputation of the man indicated the man would fight to protect those under his aegis, but the same stories also made clear that when it came to the choice of one person and Vongola, the Ninth always chose Vongola.

Reborn held the door opened and gave the other two boys a glimpse of his dark look. To their credit, both Gokudera and Kyoya hesitated in their own ways, Gokudera with an obvious look to Tsuna and Kyoya with a glare at the hitman. The two moved to the door anyway, Gokudera after getting a small encouraging smile from Tsuna and Kyoya after a slightly more challenging glance from Reborn. Fon didn't move, and Tsuna turned to him. Shielded orange-brown eyes held the martial artist gaze and tried to convey assurance, but Fon knew the boy too well to pay any attention to vain promises, unspoken or otherwise. Fon stretched out his hand. Automatically Tsuna stretched out his, but then the boy hesitated noticing the distance between himself and Fon.

"I will be back to check later," said Fon, retracting his hand. "Do not disregard my teachings."

By force of will, Fon turned around. He did catch a view of their student's face overtaken by shadows of regrets and guilt. His hand tightened into fists, and for the first time since he had finally caught up to Xiaolongnü that he allowed his fingernails to bite into his palms. His master had often emphasized control, had taught Fon how to choose his battles, and had not let the then young martial artist go out into the world without the knowledge that there are some battles that one cannot win. Fon's master had emphasized that those battles should be avoided at all cost. Fighting such battles would only end in needless loss of life. Fon could not win against the Vindice. The martial artist knew that the moment Bermuda had appeared behind Fon and would have run the martial artist through if not for the golden bullet that shot between them at the last second. Even the world's greatest hitman had barely managed to dodge the following strike. But as Fon reached the door where the hitman stood, the martial artist could barely keep from turning around and attempting another strike at the Vindice's leader. Because if not, there would be a needless loss of life, one life but a life that had become as important to Fon as that of his dear I-pin.

"He will be fine," Reborn said in a low voice. "Or Vongola will lose half of its fighting force."

"How kind of you to leave me the other half," said Fon, and he was rewarded with a flash of an amused smirk on the hitman's face. Probably because the hitman knew that the martial artist was serious.

"The Ninth is a man of his word," said Reborn.

"The question is which word will he keep," countered Fon. The hitman didn't reply, and the obsidian eyes darkened further.

"The one that will keep Vongola in tact. And Nono knows all too well which will."

* * *

><p>Since Timoteo had come to Japan, he had seen abundant proof of the hitman's attachment to Tsunayoshi, and to a certain extent, Timoteo had understood Reborn's fascination with the boy. But the Nono had not expected to see that the attachment had reached a point where the hitman would defy Vongola. True, Reborn didn't hold any official ties to Vongola, but the hitman had been good friends with Timoteo since before the curse. Timoteo would not hesitate to claim Reborn as his most trusted hitman, formal Vongola ties or not. They had a mutual respect and trust, and to think that a boy, even one as interesting as Tsunayoshi, could come between that…Perhaps Timoteo had underestimated the boy.<p>

"What are your terms?" asked Tsunayoshi the instant the four had disappeared behind the door.

"Help us capture and eliminate Daemon Spade," said the leader, which if Timoteo had caught the conversation earlier was named Bermuda. An unknown arcobaleno, if the clear pacifier was any indication.

"How?" asked Tsunayoshi, and the boy was holding himself well considering the beating he was given less than fifteen minutes ago.

"Become the Vongola Decimo."

Timoteo's eyes widened slightly before the Vongola boss quickly controlled his expression. Tsunayoshi's face remained in its serious frown.

"That is not my choice to make," said Tsunayoshi.

"No, it is not," said Bermuda. "There are no other possible heirs for Vongola, so there is no choice."

"So you would have Tsunayoshi become my true heir," said Timoteo, trying to direct some attention from the boy. Tsunayoshi had been through enough for one day. "I fail to see how that would draw Daemon Spade out of hiding."

The Vindice leader did turn to face Timoteo, though the Vindice who's shoulder Bermuda was using as a seat kept his eyes on Tsunayoshi.

"We do not want him to be your true heir," said Bermuda. "We want him to become the Vongola Decimo."

Timoteo forced his face to remain impassive. The best way to deal with an insult is ignore it, especially in a negotiation. One could not give the opponent the upper hand.

"That is not possible. Tsunayoshi is too young and inexperienced. Even if he was impressive enough to silence the obvious concerns from inside Vongola," said Timoteo, inwardly surprised that he did consider Tsunayoshi impressive enough, "each and every enemy famiglia would see the inheritance as weakness and chose to attack us. They would not win, but the attempt would upset the delicate balance and cause chaos."

"Then you should hold the inheritance ceremony in secret," said Bermuda.

"All inheritance ceremonies, especially those of the top five _famiglie_, must be announced throughout the Mafia," said Timoteo, his lips fighting to turn downward as he reigned in his temper. "As you well know, this is one of the main laws set to keep unnecessary conflicts between the higher _famiglie_."

"There is nothing that Daemon Spade cares for more than the Vongola _famiglia_," said Bermuda. "We are sure he has kept watch over it for several centuries, but during that time he kept a low profile outside his numerous crimes and misdemeanors which gave us no true clue as to his location. However when we imprisoned your 'alternate heir,' he showed his hand."

"And what hand was that?" asked Timoteo.

"He obliterated what was left of a _famiglia_ that we have been keeping tabs on for the Vongola Primo for centuries," said Bermuda, unfazed by the dark undertone in Timoteo's voice. Vindice or not, Timoteo was considering waging war on these lawless judges. No one used Vongola as a tool, and only monsters would use a child as bait. Timoteo calmed himself, forcing himself to consider the casualties that would litter such a war. He could not risk men in a hopeless battle.

"So now you wish to cause a threat towards Vongola in the form of Tsunayoshi to force Daemon once again out of hiding," said Timoteo.

"Yes," said Bermuda, and the air dropped into a dangerously cold temperature, not that either party should signs of it.

"No," said Timoteo, his eyes tightening in a way most didn't think was possible. The Vongola Ninth's expression had caused several men to quickly excuse themselves from the room, and the Vindice leader made a slight movement that might have been an uncomfortable gesture from anyone else. "You will use neither Vongola nor Tsunayoshi in such a manner."

"Then we will reclaim our prisoners and leave," said Bermuda.

"They are not your prisoners," said Timoteo. "They have not broken any Mafia laws, and any offense they might have committed against you can be counted against your own unethical actions in using one of Vongola's heirs for your own personal agenda."

"That is not for you to decide, Vongola Nono," said Bermuda, a cloud of colorless, almost white, flames surrounding him and the Vindice he stood on.

"Any other action will be considered a declaration of war," said Timoteo, pressing his staff into the ground and ready to pump the proper amount of flames into it. Hopeless or not, a war against the Vindice would weaken the shadow organization's standing in the Mafia world. According to most, the Vindice were a necessary evil, there to pick up and take care of those that were too evil for even lawless men. But for the Vindice to be able to work in the suspicious Mafia underworld, they had to be trusted to a certain point. Yes, they functioned mainly on fear, but no one would make deals with those they didn't trust. And deals were how the Vindice sustained themselves. Or so many had speculated when considering them human instead of demons from the furthest ends of the underworld. To start a war would place the Vindice at the same level of trust as any Mafia _famiglia_, and the deals would be as difficult and complicated as those with other _famiglie_ instead of the current clear cut ones. The Vindice could not risk such a thing.

"What is your answer, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" asked Bermuda.

"What will happen to Tamaki?" asked Tsuna.

"You know what has to occur in order to rid the world of the threat of Daemon Spade," said Bermuda.

"I will not let you kill Tamaki."

"That is unfortunate," said Bermuda. "Because, as I said earlier, Sawada Tsunayoshi, you do not have a choice."

"Do you wish for a war with Vongola?" asked Timoteo.

"I doubt Vongola would wish to start a war without the support of the CEDEF," said the Vindice leader, and Timoteo's eyes widened before he could stop them. No. Iemitsu had gone to the bottom of the ship to sulk at his son's continued disregard. And the blond man, no matter how much time or practice he spent improving his stealth, had never been able to sneak past Timoteo. Never. The man could not have gone to "help" one son save the other. No, Timoteo had spoken to the man about this. About how Tsunayoshi's plan was as sound as they were going to get without involving more Vongola resources. Timoteo had not pulled punches when he had commented on Iemitsu's horrid stealth skills and how they would only impede the mission. Iemitsu had agreed. The CEDEF leader had agreed to stay on the ship. He couldn't have—

A barely conscious, chained Iemitsu appeared flanked by two Vindice. The blue eyes landed on the scene unfocused but quickly regained their sharpness upon noticing Tsunayoshi. The boy stiffened slightly, but otherwise did not respond to the sight of his father helplessly dangling in the air. Iemitsu's gaze remained on Tsunayoshi, as if both transfixed and trying to convey a wordless message to his eldest son. But the Vindice leader interrupted any communication that could have formed between the two.

"So, Sawada Tsunayoshi, do you accept our terms?"

* * *

><p>Iemitsu never understood why his boss had done what he had done. The Nono had tried to explain, but he had not been able to understand. Iemitsu could only see the consequences, the tears, the chaos, the empty space behind the desk that shouldn't be there. But now he knew. Now Iemitsu knew too well why the former CEDEF leader had plunged the shard of glass deep into his heart when the hostage negotiations had barely started. The <em>famiglia<em> always came first. How many times had Dante to insisted that Iemitsu repeat that before the then young Lion of Vongola had gone a mission. The mission was never first. It was the _famiglia_. Do what was best for your _famiglia_ even at the cost of your own life.

Iemitsu had tried to apply the same rules to his family. To Nana and Tamaki and Tsuna. They came first in his life, as did his _famiglia_. But the two couldn't occupy the same spot, so sometimes Iemitsu had fallen onto his more familiar "_famiglia_ first" rule. He realized it part of the time, but he usually justified that what was the best for the _famiglia_ was best for his family too. After all, the _famiglia_ paid the bills and kept his family safe. And he had made a promise to Dante to keep the CEDEF running, to aid the Nono and Vongola in their times of need. And Nana and the boys never seemed to mind. When he had gone home after hearing about Tamaki's kidnapping, he had expected Nana to cling to him for strength and Tsuna to rely on Iemitsu to bring back his brother. But neither had. And Iemitsu had not understood why. But now he understood that too. He understood too much too late.

The Vindice stared at Tsuna waiting for an answer. Waiting for an answer from Iemitsu's little tunafish, from the boy who used to not be able to take two steps without stumbling. Who ran away screaming from Chihuahuas. Whose small shy smiles were so rare and beautiful, so like his mother's were when she was younger. The head Vindice was demanding Tsuna's compliance in return for Iemitsu's safety. The cold hearted villain was asking for Tsuna, for Iemitsu's little tunafish, to help hunt down his little brother in order for the Vindice to murder Tamaki in cold blood. And why? To rid themselves of a potential threat, or so the Vindice that had caught Iemitsu had said. The CEDEF leader caught a glimpse of Tsuna's gaze, of the dark hollowness that bore in his son's eyes, and Iemitsu feared what decision his little tunafish would make. This was why he had fought so hard to keep Tsuna out of the mafia. Iemitsu knew his little tunafish could not make the hard decisions. His little tunafish had a heart as soft as his mother, but one that trembled and shirked at the slightest threat. This…Tsuna couldn't do this. But Tsuna wouldn't listen to his father's advice, even if Iemitsu screamed it at the top of his lungs. His son didn't respect—no he didn't trust his father. Why would Tsuna? His father had never been there to trust.

"Under one condition," said Tsuna, orange eyes gleaming. "Allow us to try to try to exorcise Daemon Spade first."

"No," answered the Vindice. "Daemon Spade must not escape again. Your choice is clear. Will you aid us in capturing and executing Daemon Spade or allow your father and the leader of the CEDEF to die?"

Tsuna's shoulder cringed slightly under the words, but his body did not betray anymore emotion. In fact, every trace of feeling fell out of Tsuna's face. His expression and eyes became blank and hard, and Tsuna turned to gaze to Iemitsu. The pulsing orange eyes looked at Iemitsu, and the man could see no regret, no guilt directed at him in them. Only that hollow agony that could never be compared to the fear and confusion his little tunafish's brown eyes had held so often. Iemitsu had been right about one thing. His little tunafish was gone. He was gone and replaced by a teenager that Iemitsu didn't know. That Iemitsu had never taken the chance to know. And Iemitsu understood why Dante had stressed living without regrets. Because if one lived with regrets, then one day, one would die with them. Too much, too late.

The eyes disappeared behind the boy's brown bangs, and Iemitsu's gut twisted into a heart-stopping snap as the boy's head slowly lifted and fell down in a heavy nod.

"Release hi—"

"No," said Iemitsu, his voice at its most low and dangerous. He knew his own eyes must have blazed the Vongola orange as he glared at the head Vindice. "This deal is null and void."

"You have no say in this matter," said the head Vindice.

"I do have a say. This," he said, clamping his teeth down on his tongue. The blood gushed out of his mouth, and he could feel the warm liquid seeping down his throat, threatening to drown him. How many times had he dreamt of blood drowning him, of blood chocking him in its grip, of blood he shed for the _famiglia_ coming back for its revenge. And this was its revenge. His death coming right after his failure, his inability to rescue his son and to keep his family safe. Just like that time, where he had taken the boys out to get ice cream and play soccer and come back to find blood pooling under his wife, a knife inches from her hand and in the chest of her attacker.

Iemitsu had failed, and instead of seeking to fix his failure, he had run. He had put the _famiglia_ first. He had stayed away, convincing himself that by staying away from his family was the only way to protect them. But all he was doing was running, to keep from facing the fact that his family…his family didn't…that he had failed them. That he couldn't give up his position in the _famiglia_ for them. That his family didn't matter to him as much as his _famiglia_. And was this time any different? His son's eyes were dimming to horrified brown. As blood gurgled in his throat and his lungs convulsed and tried to push the blood out, Iemitsu watched as his little tunafish froze into a silent scream. A silent plea to stop. To stop choking on his own blood. To stop dying. But Iemitsu had to die. He had to die for his son, for both of them. He couldn't allow them to be used. For Tsuna, for Tamaki, to suffer because of him. Not anymore. Using the last of his strength, he pulled his lips upward and face his son with what must be a wet, red smile. He wanted Tsuna to know that it was okay. That he was dying with regrets, but that he didn't regret dying. His lungs convulsed, and his expression shifted against he will, and he tried to make himself grin again. Terror blasted his heart into a horrible, erratic rhythm as he realized he was dying. He was dying, and he had done it. And he would never…His vision blurred, and his heart stopped. There was no pain. But for an instant, there wasn't anything else either. And then…


	48. How We React

Chapter 48: _How We React…_

He was dead. Tsuna could see the truth…the death in that man's…in his father's glazed unseeing eyes and red filled, foaming mouth. Tsuna's father was dead. And Tsuna—his eyes grew hot, his view blurred, his throat clenched—he couldn't care. Who knew who else the Vindice would go after? He needed to focus. He couldn't let the death of his deadbeat father affect him. He couldn't. And why would affect him anyway? The man was gone for most of Tsuna's life, left Tama-kun and their mother in tears, and always lied. If anything, the man's death—his father's death—would simplify things. Their mother wouldn't stay up late crying or put on that strained smile after a rare phone call and Tama would…would…

Tsuna's knees suddenly met the floor and jerked him back to the image in front of him. His eyes hadn't strayed from the red dripping face, the unnatural limpness of his father's…that man's body. No wait. The proper term was corpse. Dead things…dead people were corpses. Didn't they study that in science? No, that wouldn't make sense. Hana would never approve such studies, and she would have really chewed Nezu-sensei out for that. So where did the term corpse come from? Did it matter?

Words floated above Tsuna's head. He could catch hisses and screeches and deep, dark tones, but they didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. Tsuna shouldn't care. He shouldn't. The blonde man had long since stopped being anything to Tsuna. A father in name only. A faded memory and occasional flashes of heat as Tsuna remembered what happened. To Tamaki, to his mother, to their family. But his death still caused deep, aching hurt because…because…

A hand touched Tsuna's shoulder, and a kind, wrinkled face interposed itself between the unmoving teen and the red, red image.

"They're gone," said the face, and Tsuna wondered how the words made sense, because they didn't. "They agreed to your terms. They had no choice after ridding the CEDEF of their leader. The CEDEF aids Vongola during times of crisis, and so Vongola aids the CEDEF in times of crisis. The Vindice did not want to start a war. They have left us alone for now. They must give us time to grieve and prepare. Your family is safe for now."

Tsuna's unfocused eyes must have shown his utter incomprehension of the words. The face fell, and deeper wrinkles formed.

"Tsunayoshi…I am so sorry," said the face, and Tsuna saw the light hazel eyes shine and their glow slipping into water down the face's cheeks. The face disappeared, and grey tickled the edge of Tsuna's vision as arms pressed around his shoulders and a weight leaned onto his chest. Tsuna's instinct immediately urged his own arms to wrap around the face's owner and pat the face's back. But his hands stayed in place, and he focused on the view in front of him. Something had changed, but maybe it had already and Tsuna had only noticed now. The eyes and mouth were closer to floor now. The entire body—corpse—lay on its side. Someone should move it, him. Tsuna couldn't. Not with the face's owner pressing him down. And Tsuna didn't think he could. Well, thanks to Reborn and Fon's training, Tsuna could. But then he'd get red on him and worry his mother more. His mother who would have to hear about her husband's death. Suddenly the arms pressed against him and the weight became too much. He pushed out of the face's owner's arms only to see the face again. The hazel eyes seemed to burn with understanding, with rejection…Tsuna grabbed the old man's—he could see the Ninth completely now—the old man's arm.

"You…You took care of it?" Tsuna asked, his voice coming out rough and high. He lifted a hand to his cheek, but it was dry. Good. He didn't care. He didn't. He had to be strong. Strong enough to make Tama smile and entice his mother to want to make a feast of food and keep both of them from being scared or worried. Strong like the father that was never there and now would never be. He forced more words out of his tight throat. "They'll…they won't come back."

The old man's face wrinkled further into a cringe.

"They will return," said the Ninth quietly. "After Iemitsu's funeral, they will come back to make sure we keep our end of deal."

"Oh," said Tsuna, the single syllable falling off his lips and thoughts followed it. His family. He wouldn't—couldn't fail them again. He found his legs shaky as he tested them, and his voice still sounded too far away. But he had to be strong. Just for a little bit more. He needed to keep them safe, get Tamaki back, keep his promise to his mother…No, he couldn't think about that. Not yet. He swallowed and forced out the words as firmly as he could. "We have to get ready for them."

-break-

Reborn subtly stared at Dame-Tsuna. Orange fire blazed in the normally brown eyes, and while the sight was growing to be more and more common, in this situation the orange blaze would to any other man be unbelievably remarkable. Yes, they refused to look at the strewn body several feet in front of them, but Reborn could not blame Dame-Tsuna for keeping his focus off it. Instead of wallowing in despair, the boy stood in front of them with barely a tremor. A casual observer would note nothing but the strength of the boy's determination. But Reborn did not observe casually. As the world's best hitman, he couldn't. Even the most seemingly insignificant details could be the key to discovering an assassination attempt or a target's last ditch ploy to escape the inevitable. To Reborn, Dame-Tsuna's rigid posture was a man's last attempt at staying upright, at continuing on when the world around him had shattered into dust. And despite what _seemed _to be occurring, Dame-Tsuna wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"We will arrive in Namimori and contact the Vongola and the CEDEF to arrange a funeral in two weeks," said the Ninth, all emotion hidden behind a blank face. "Any later would be suspect, and we cannot afford to appear suspicious or weak to any other of the _famiglie_ under the Vongola alliance. Should the others learn of the possessed status of one of our heirs and the Vindice's current ill-will towards us, many would break the alliance and much of the mafia world would dissolve into chaos."

"Sew mouth quiet," said Yamamoto with his trademark grin, the tension in his facial muscles barely visible to even the train eye. The tall teen had his eyes focused on Tsuna's stiff form.

"Shut up, Sword Freak," snapped Gokudera. "No one can understand what you are saying!"

"He probably doesn't understand you either," said Shamal. "But then most people have trouble translating monkey."

The bomber whirled and glared at the only female on the boat.

"What did you tell him!?" he growled.

"Only the truth," said Kurokawa with an amused smirk. "Imagine my surprise when he told me you have been a monkey since early childhood."

"That's enough," said the Ninth, his voice hard and unforgiving. Many of those who knew of the man's kindly reputation could never believe he could make the Varia quiver in fear of his reprimands. But once they heard that tone, they would begin to wonder where the kindly reputation came from instead. "You will allow go below and allow your injuries to heal. Once we arrive to Namimori and have the more serious checked into a hospital, the rest of you will take the day to recover from the effort and strain of today's battles. Tomorrow, those of you belonging to Tsuna's inner _famiglia_ will begin your training."

"Training? For what?" asked Kurokawa. "I'll admit that Takeshi and Tsuna could come a long way in two weeks, maybe even the idiot monkey, but I doubt we could all achieve Tsuna's _Shishō _and tutor's level in two weeks. Anything less with end with us being held as hostages by those creeps in black cloaks."

Tsuna flinched slightly, and the tension in the young Yamamoto's face nearly snapped into a frown. Gokudera's scowl also deepened, but Kurokawa ignored them.

"There will be physical training involved, though I think not in your case," said the Ninth, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes and the hard tone absent from his words. "You will need to learn how to run and operate a fifth of the Vongola _famiglia_ on your own. Specifically the various groups that work in the countries east of Italy, including India, China, and Japan."

"Why?" asked the tall girl.

"Because no one will expect any less from the inheriting Decimo's _famiglia_," said the Ninth. The teens on the deck all froze, and Reborn was reminded of how young and inexperienced they were. They were not ready for such a responsibility, especially not Dame-Tsuna who looked ready to fall apart at a moment's notice. The brunette might not have shown any outward sign of shock, but Reborn had grown to know his student well enough to note the absence of emotion, the deadness in the brown eyes. The boy had completely mentally retreated at the announcement, and Reborn longed to kick the dame-ness out of the boy's head. But now was not the time. As the Ninth's most trusted hitman, Reborn had to remain in his position at the Ninth's right side. Fortunately Fon did not have such obligations.

"No. They aren't ready," said Fon from where he stood beside Dame-Tsuna, blocking what the martial artist could of the CEDEF leader's remains. "And no one would accept such young leaders even if you were to choose and prepare them. Much of the Mafia would view it as a sign of weakness and attack."

"Which is exactly what the Vindice want," said the Ninth. "And we will give it to them."

"Why should we give into those cloaked creeps? They have cost Vongola a valuable ally. If anything, they owe the Vongola, not the other way around," said Gokudera, his tone changing to the dangerous clip that the teen had used in their strategy meetings. The bomber's intelligent eyes glittered dangerously, and Reborn could almost see the bomber analyzing the situation for possible ways to grab Dame-Tsuna and run. Part of Reborn scoffed at the idea of the bomber getting anything past the Ninth, let alone Reborn himself, but another part of the hitman approved of the bomber's loyalty.

"The Vindice have their own laws," said Reborn.

"And what exactly are they?" the bomber snapped. The hitman watched as Dame-Tsuna didn't step in to stop the bomber's outburst or reaction. The boy stood there and did nothing, and the hitman's urge to hit Dame-Tsuna on the head grew stronger.

"Isn't it obvious," said the Kurokawa girl. "Whatever suits them is what falls into accordance with their laws. What we have to do is make them think that our purposes suit them. Which is why we have to give them what they want."

"Precisely," said the Ninth with a small smile.

"Tsuna-sama doesn't want to be the Vongola Decimo," said Gokudera, his jaw clenching into a taunt line.

"He has agreed to this plan," said the Ninth, "as I agreed to yours."

"He wouldn't. He has always wanted the moronic imitation to inherit the position. Right, Tsuna-sama?" said Gokudera, the serious expression being replaced by a more eager, anxious expression. Dame-Tsuna blinked, and the bomber's expression lost its eagerness. The young Yamamoto frowned, and Kurokawa near glared at the distant brunette.

"It is the only way to recover the currently possessed Tamaki," said the Ninth, almost catching the teen's attention.

"Is that right?" said Kurokawa in a demanding tone. Tsuna gazed at her, and the blankness behind the burning orange became more obvious. The tall girl stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the unresponsive brunette. "Don't think we don't know what you did in Vendicare. Irie was listening to it all despite you turning off your receiver. It's too bad for you that the other two monkeys didn't. How far are you willing to go to save the moronic monkey king? How many more battles are you willing to fight? What are you willing to lose—to make _us_ lose in the process? If that deal had gone through, I want you to know that a good portion of the people on this ship and some back in Namimori could have _died_ trying to get you back. Is that what you want? Do you want to put us all in the unnecessary danger you keep throwing yourself in? If you want to put yourself at the mercy of those cloaked creeps – which probably doesn't even exist – you better think it through this time because we are not leaving you."

"He has no choice, Kurokawa-san," said the Ninth, all traces of leniency gone. "The Vindice will return, and if we do not allow these terms to hold, they will do whatever they have to do to draw out their prey."

"And what's to say that this prey doesn't already see the trap coming?"

"He most likely has," said Fon in that irritatingly calming manner of his. If the martial artist was hoping to calm the girl with that tone, he was mistaken. Reborn had dealt with his share of women, and from what he had seen of the Kurokawa girl, she was the sort that never calmed down until she had said what she believed needed to be said. However, she had more restraint than most and allowed the martial artist to finish. "But the bait is too tempting for him to ignore, at least according to all the information on the first Vongola mist guardian. Daemon Spade was known for his vicious and unrelenting defense of the Vongola _famiglia_. By putting it in danger, we almost guarantee his appearance."

"You would put the entire Vongola _famiglia_ in danger to rescue the moronic monkey king?"

"No," said the Ninth. "But it is already in danger. No one is sure what Daemon Spade will do, and we cannot afford to have him running loose. He has already wiped out a _famiglia_ who has been a close ally of ours, and we can't risk him placing the Vongola famiglia in any more danger."

"So the only risk really being taken is by us," said Kurokawa, and the sharp dark brown eyes narrowed. "You are dragging us into your problem and hoping that we will fix it."

"You need not be involved. When we reach the shore, you can walk away," said the Ninth. "In fact, I suggest you do. No matter the outcome, there will be no turning back after this point. Once I have declared Tsunayoshi my successor in the inheritance ceremony, it can never be undone. To change a successor after officially instating him would be a sign of internal discord."

"Which would cause the Vongola _famiglia_ to appear weak to other _famiglie_ and cause the very problem you are trying to create," said the girl unimpressed. "So I guess that if this Daemon Spade doesn't appear before this inheritance ceremony that you will then find a reason to 'un-declare' Tsuna your successor and cause a more tempting weakness."

The Ninth didn't reply, and Reborn tilted his fedora down to hide a smirk. Even the world's best hitman couldn't afford to anger the Vongola boss. Usually, there would be little chance of such a thing occurring since Timoteo had long outgrown his explosive, youthful temper, but Reborn was no willing to test Timoteo's patience at the moment. Iemitsu had foolishly killed himself, the brat was possessed by the most enigmatic man born in the last few centuries, Dame-Tsuna could barely hold himself together, and now the Kurokawa girl was challenging the Ninth's authority and, given the lack of people stopping her, speaking for most of the people on the ship. The Ninth was a fair and kind boss under normal circumstances, but normal circumstances did not include Vindice and supposed-to-be-dead centuries-old illusionists.

A chuckle drifted through the air, and Reborn glanced at the Ninth, surprised to see the free smile on the wrinkled face. The older man lifted his fisted hand and coughed into it as if trying to hide that he was the source of the chuckle.

"Are you saying, young lady, that you will be involved regardless of the outcome?" asked the Ninth. Light had entered the man's light hazel eyes and danced in amusement.

"I believe I made it clear that we weren't going anywhere," said Kurokawa. The young Yamamoto grinned and nodded firmly from his position behind the girl, and the bomber muttered something that sounded like irritated agreement, clearly wanting to make his loyalty known on his own terms. The young redhead inventor blinked and fidgeted but didn't move from where he stood near the bomber.

"That is good to hear," said the Ninth, and Reborn hid another smirk, this time from the girl. It was nice to know that the Ninth had not lost his touch, despite the situation. A quick look at Dame-Tsuna wiped the smirk off the hitman's face. The burning orange eyes had remained infuriatingly blank despite the Ninth's (and the girl's) efforts to show the boy that he would not face what was coming alone whether or not he wanted to. He merely stood there, rigid as a rock and just as responsive. Given the disappearance of the Ninth's small smile, Timoteo had noticed as well.

Red caught Reborn's attention, and black eyes met his. Reborn nodded, understanding what the martial artist wanted and agreeing. When they arrived in Namimori, the two of them would have to make sure that their student didn't do anything stupid.

-break-

Tsuna walked beside the Ninth, matching step for step as much as he could with the fairly tall man. Italians, Tsuna vaguely remembered from Hana's research, were on average taller than Japanese. The fact had been merely another she had used to point out the difficulties that either he or Tamaki would face as a mafia boss. She had said something like it was hard for people to take you seriously when they were looking down at you, but he couldn't remember much about the conversation except that at the time she had been looking down at him. Hana wasn't against using her height to make a point. She wasn't against using anything to make a point if she thought the point needed to be made. Like what she had done back on the ship.

Tsuna couldn't recall the details. He had been focusing on standing as straight at the Ninth and holding onto the heat. It had been so hard to repress when he had gone off to rescue Tamaki, but now it was so hard to hold on to it. He hadn't been able to hold it or use it at all in the Vindice's attack of the ship, which is why he had done little outside of get in the way. He shouldn't have tried to attack them using his martial arts alone. Even _Shishō's Kaze Ryu_ needed a little extra against the Vindice. Tsuna had seen the flickering red flames sparking off Fon as the martial art master stayed between Tsuna and any Vindice that was attacking. Just another mistake that cost other people…

"Tsuna, we're here," whispered Fon. Tsuna blinked and realized that the martial art master was sitting on his shoulder. And they were standing in front of Takesushi. Reborn jumped off of Tsuna's head.

"Dr. Shamal is transporting your father's body to a nearby hospital," said Reborn. "Preparation for the funeral is underway."

Tsuna automatically nodded, part of him why he didn't know this information. Didn't grandpa—the Ninth say something about that when they discussed briefly what needed to be done. Tsuna had to play the part the Vindice wished him to play so that Tsuna would ensure that Tamaki would not be killed. And in exchange for the chance to keep Tamaki alive, Tsuna would shoulder the burden of becoming the Vongola Decimo. The Ninth had looked strangely sad when he had offered Tsuna the choice to back out. The Vongola had been too…too…something…and couldn't endure another change. But Tsuna didn't care. He had to get Tama back. He had promised to bring Tama back. He had promised her…

His hand froze on the handle of the door, and Tsuna's lungs constricted. He couldn't breathe. He tried to focus, to take a calming breath, but his lungs wouldn't expand. His heart didn't help. It was racing, stealing what little breath he could manage to squeeze through his lips. Voices sounded, or maybe it was noise. Tsuna's heart drowned whatever it was out. The hand wouldn't turn the handle. He knew it should. It should open the door so that he could go in and tell her that he hadn't managed to keep his promise. And that…that…

The hand slipped from the handle as the door opened. Not on its own, someone had to open the door, but all Tsuna could see was the restaurant and all the people in it. And his mother smiling to one of the customers, helping Yamamoto-san out while she waited for their return. Any breath that was managing to reach his lungs ceased, and he immediately turned around and ran. The heat was gone, and coldness took its place. His arms and legs lost their numbness, and icy pain tore through them, causing Tsuna to fall. But he couldn't stay here. Here people could find him. Here it could get worse. He needed somewhere safe. Somewhere no one could get him.

Something grabbed him, and he flinched. He quickly lunged away from the hand and scrambled to his knees. With a shaky push, he wobbled to his feet and kept running. He passed blurs and tripped again, falling flat on his nose. He opened his mouth, hoping to swallow enough cold air to cool the burning in his lungs, but the air wouldn't go down his throat. The hand returned. Tsuna weakly batted at it, but it didn't go away. Tsuna tried to push himself upright, but the icy pain pierced his arms and caused them to collapse under him.

"…me take him," said a familiar voice. Tsuna wondered why it sounded familiar and why he could hear it. "I will make sure he rests."

"And where will you take him?" asked another familiar voice. Tsuna's brain struggled to match a name, a face, a thought to the voice, but he couldn't think. He could only hear.

"Back to my house of course," said the first voice. A pause followed. "You could come visit."

"Come visit?" said the second voice.

"When he is recovered. You need to allow him to rest first."

"With you alone?"

"Lancia-san is there."

"And when would my student be rested enough for a visit."

"Give him until tomorrow. Today has been an…eventful day. If he was already on his way there, then he could use some time away from his problems."

"He is running away."

"Yes. He is. But he is only human. And what has happened…it appears to have been too much."

Tsuna heard a shuffle, and the hand fell from his shoulders and gently grasped his wrist. The touch sent a cold surge up his arms, but Tsuna didn't pull away again. He knew this touch. He could trust it. But he needed to move. He wasn't safe. He could get hurt. He didn't want to get hurt. He'd go back out again later and take care of Tama's bullies or friends or _him_…His chest clenched.

"We will be there first thing tomorrow morning," said the second voice softly. A sadness sounded through the words, and his heart squeezed. He couldn't. The hand hurt, and he couldn't do anything. And he didn't want to. He wanted not to be safe. He wanted not to hurt.

The hand let go, and suddenly something wrapped around Tsuna. It was gentle, and a warmth, different from the usual one, surrounded him. He knew this warmth. It meant safe. Which meant he could finally stop and let the darkness finally claim him…

-break-

"Where is Tsuna?"

The question weighed heavily on their shoulders, and Takeshi was thankful the doctor hadn't cured his words yet. Gokudera looked like he wished there was something wrong with his words too. He had been trying to dodge the question with the old boss's help, but Mama wouldn't let them ignore the question any longer. Takeshi glanced over his shoulder to the door where Tsuna had frozen and then run like if he had to slide into home base. Or like he had to run away.

"He ran," said the kid, his eyes glittering like swords from under the shadow of his hat.

"He ran? Where?" asked Tsuna's mom, the question just as hard as the last.

"To where Lancia is," said Fon, entering the restaurant. The martial art master had a slump in his shoulders like if he had struck out. "He's safe."

Tsuna's mom's shoulders relaxed, and Takeshi kinda wished they would tense up again because maybe then she would be ready for what they had to tell her. Or as ready as she could be.

"Is Iemitsu with him?" she asked. Takeshi barely kept from flinching and dropping the grin that had naturally formed on his lips. His father's sharp hazel eyes narrowed.

"Where is the CEDEF leader?" asked Takeshi's father. The kid's eyes disappeared under the rim of his hat again, Fon shifted his gaze away from both the older swordsman, Gokudera clicked his tongue and let his eyes fall to the floor, and the old boss gave a soft sigh that Takeshi wouldn't have heard if the noise in the room hadn't suddenly stopped.

"He's at the hospital thanks to one of your son's friends," said the old boss.

"He's hurt?" she asked as her face warped with worry. "Why? Wasn't he supposed to stay on your ship and guard it? Is Tsuna hurt?"

"No, Tsuna's not injured," said the old boss. Good thing that the mafia boss didn't say Tsuna wasn't hurt, because that would be a lie. Tsuna was very much hurt. Takeshi glanced at the door again and let his grin fall before meeting his father's intense gaze. His father's eyes widened, and Takeshi's father moved to Mama's side.

"Oh. So how badly is Iemitsu hurt?" asked Tsuna's mother with a very familiar smile. Tsuna wore that smile when he didn't want them to worry, which was strange because it didn't work. His eyes couldn't lie as well as the rest of his face. "Is he going to be long in the hospital?"

"He's dead," said the kid flatly, and most of the room rocked backwards at the words. Mama's smile faltered but soon stretched into a wider more believable one.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," said Tsuna's mother as she closed her eyes. Gokudera nearly choked on the cigarette between his lips but recovered in time to keep from coughing out loud, and Fon, Reborn, and the old boss simply stared at her. Takeshi and his dad waited. "Iemitsu told me once that I should tell the boys that he went to become a star. It was all so romantic. He's always doing things like that."

"Sawada-san, do you think we're lying to you?" asked the old boss.

"It's alright," she said, her smile very wide and bright. Her brown eyes matched her smile, and Takeshi wondered if he should worry about Tsuna learning to lie with his eyes too. Maybe Takeshi should talk to his father about learning how to see through the best of lies instead of sword practice one day. Hana had insisted that they keep a close eye on Tsuna, and Takeshi needed to know what to keep an eye-out for. With a tittering giggle, Tsuna's mother continued. "You don't have to cover for him. I know he's angry."

"Your husband—Iemitsu loved you and your sons," the Ninth said, his voice soft and serious. "When he was captured, he refused to allow his captors to use him as leverage and gave his life to protect your sons'."

"It's very kind of you to put up with my husband, but it's okay. Tell Iemitsu I'm not angry and he can come stay with us. Tsuyoshi-san won't mind, right, Tsuyoshi-san?"

Before Takeshi's old man could answer, the kid interrupted.

"Iemitsu is dead," said Reborn, his voice coming as hard as a fastball. "The Ninth will tell you that he died doing what he should have done in life, protecting your sons, but the truth is his own stupidity got him killed. If he had followed your son's plan, he would have lived and caused us all less problems."

Takeshi couldn't say he didn't agree with the kid, even if Takeshi could talk straight. But as Mama's legs collapsed beneath her, Takeshi wished that all the kid said wasn't true.


	49. Dangerous Memories

Chapter 49: _Dangerous Memories_

Tsuna appeared half his size on the king sized bed, but Kawahira had insisted that it was the only bed safe for Tsuna to sleep on. With all the other assorted items in the store (Lancia would have called it junk, but the bespectacled owner had treated Lancia to a level-S fear-class illusion last time Lancia had let the word slip), Lancia thought that perhaps a smaller bed could have been found for the same purpose.

The Draghi _famiglia_ had very few large beds, and even those rarely held only one person. Most of the _famiglia_ shared beds, a habit formed from the fact that there never were enough beds thanks to their boss constantly picking up strays. Other than the boss' advisor, the boss' mistress, and the occasional guest, no one slept in a bed alone, let along such a large one. Lancia smiled slightly at the memory of countless children sneaking through the halls at night to find comfort from their nightmares in a corner of the boss's bed. More than once the boss had been found on the floor while his bed was filled with the youngest of his strays.

The boss would have picked up Tsuna as well. Of course, the _Draghi_ boss would have teased Lancia for getting so attached as the obese, balding man always did when Lancia bonded with the more frail looking kids, and the mid-forty man would have taken great pleasure in pointing out that said frail-looking kid had beaten Lancia down. But then, the _Draghi_ boss would have practically adopted the boy. He would have called Tsuna his son in heartbeat. And most wouldn't have trouble believing it, since the two had such similar eyes. Kind, warm eyes that didn't really belong to the mafia world.

The memories faded along with the sight of the small brunette on the too big bed. In their place appeared Lancia's boss's green eyes trembled as the obese man lay strewn with red on the floor and various small, frozen faces locked at the large man with distorted horrified expressions. The blood dripped from his knuckles and hands as the echoing crunches of broken bones whispered through his mind. His fists lifted up against his will as low laughter echoed in his mind along with the sickening crunches. He couldn't stop it, couldn't stop his arm from bending backwards and slamming down on the nearly lifeless body. A breathless wheeze escaped the boss, and Lancia's lips parted to make the low laughter physically audible.

"You brought this on yourself," said Lancia's voice in _that _child's tone. Two weeks here, and that child had destroyed it all. No. He didn't. He couldn't have done it alone. He had needed to use someone, and he had chosen to use the strongest of the famiglia. The most weak-minded, the boy had said. "You should have known, _Signore_, that you shouldn't take in strays. You never know where they've been."

Lancia's arm pulled backwards, and a horrible second followed where he could almost stop himself, almost manage not to release the tension in his arm like a spring. But his arm did propel forward and met his boss's forehead. The horrible crack followed before the whole scene collapsed around Lancia, and the tall man saw his hands clutching to the sheets of the bed before him.

"You're still falling for them," whispered a voice behind him. Lancia managed to release the sheets as he turned around to look as the fox-like grin on Kawahira's face. "It was a level-A illusion, in case you were wondering. After all our practice, one would think you would notice that you could control your breath. In any form of possession, breath is the only thing that you have absolute control over. Also, it was a memory. A horrible one, no doubt, but a memory that was becoming too vivid for simple mental recall. _He_ could have come in and stolen Tsunayoshi out from under your nose while you allowed such an obvious illusion to incapacitate you."

Lancia frowned and clenched his teeth hard enough to send shocks of pain through his head and looked around. No more illusions remained past the pain. Only a half-smiling Kawahira.

"That trick won't work on S-class illusions," said Kawahira, moving closer to the bed. "But that is a lesson for another day."

The strange shop owner passed a hand over the sleeping brunette. The air swirled with purple flickers, and then the brunette disappeared from sight. Lancia reached forward to touch the spot where Tsuna had been.

"Don't. It's B-level illusion. It will shatter if someone prods it too much."

Lancia's hand retreated at Kawahira's warning, and the white-haired man moved to stand next to the dark haired fighter.

"It would be stronger, but I believe I will have to do more soon. He will probably need a little extra to wake," said Kawahira, placing a hand on what appeared to be empty air. "No doubt an illusionist of _his_ caliber will take this chance to attack."

"Attack?" asked Lancia glancing anxiously onto the bed.

"_He_ has one twin, but we all know he will want the other," said Kawahira. His hand did not move from its position. "And those two, despite all they have struggled through, have a strong bond that is easiest to form between humans born from the same womb."

Lancia would have asked what sort of bond the mysterious man was alluding to, but he had seen enough evidence to guess at exactly what Kawahira was talking about. It showed in Tsunayoshi's strangely accurate worry for his brother or even Tamaki's understanding of Tsunayoshi's overly careless self-sacrifice. The strongest man in Italy could only hope that the strange, strong bond would not be used against the two Sawadas. Especially if it cost the world another pair of kind eyes.

* * *

><p>The world grew blurry and foggy, and Tsuna hid the best he could behind Mama's legs.<p>

"Tsuna, don't be so silly. Come out and say 'hello' to your Papa," said Mama as she tried to pull him out from behind her.

"Aw, what's wrong my little Tunafish?" asked the large blond man as he bend down to look into Tsuna's eyes. Tama giggled from where he hung weirdly on the man's arm, not one part of his body touching the floor even as the man crouched down so near to it. Tsuna worried that maybe Tama would fall out of the man's bent arm and go crashing hard onto the floor. Or worse, the man would let Tama go and carry Tsuna like that instead. "Don't you want a Papa hug too?"

Tsuna shook his head hard. He didn't want to be thrown up into the air. What if the man missed Tsuna like he almost missed Tama? Tsuna already fell to the floor all by himself all the time, and he didn't want to know how much harder it would be to fall from way up in the air.

"Come on, Aniki," said Tama, tugging at Tsuna's arm from where he stood right in front of Tsuna. "Papa wants to take us to the park."

"I don't wanna go," Tsuna whispered, hoping that Tama wouldn't ask. Tsuna's whole body felt hot, and he wanted to stay with Mama.

"Please, Aniki? Playing with Papa's no fun without you," Tama whispered in whiny voice. "Papa won't throw you up. I'll tell him not too. Papa doesn't know you don't like it, but I'll tell him."

Large brown eyes engulfed Tsuna, and Tsuna couldn't look away. Tsuna didn't want to, because his own eyes began to sting. Why did he suddenly feel like crying? Tsuna found himself nodding and trying to grab onto the hand that had tugged on his arm, but he couldn't reach it.

"Papa, Aniki said yes," said Tama, pulling Tsuna forward and almost into the man's arms.

"That's good, my little _Bullet_," said the man. He grabbed both boys and placed them each on one of his shoulders. Tsuna squeaked and wrapped his arms around the man's strong neck.

"Papa, put Aniki down. Aniki doesn't like to be high," said Tama.

"Sorry, my little _Bullet_, but my little Tunafish needs to learn to be a man," said Iemitsu. "He might need to take care of _Mamma_ one day."

"But I want to help take care of _Mamma_," whined Tama as he flew up higher on the swing. The man grinned from where he stood pushing the swing.

"You will help take care of _Mamma_, but you will help by taking care of Papa's boss," said the man with the large, scary grin and yellow hair. Tsuna blinked, wondering why he cared what color the man's hair was and why he didn't want it to be red. Oh. Because Mama liked it yellow. It didn't need to be red. Tsuna let out another squeak as his bottom hit the hard ground.

"Aniki! Pay attention!" cried Tama. He frowned from his side of the see-saw. "You'll get hurt if you don't look."

"_Bullet_, Tunafish," said the still-yellow haired man putting a black box thing (a phone, part of his mind whispered) in his pocket. "It's time to go home."

"Can't we stay more, Papa?" whined Tama. Tsuna didn't say anything, his stomach and face getting hot and hotter. He wanted to stay here in the park. Here, playing with Tama and the still-yellow haired man. He didn't want to go.

"We need to get back or we'll miss _Mamma's_ delicious cooking," said the still-yellow haired man as he grabbed Tama. A sound pricked and burned Tsuna's throat. He wanted to scream, to bat away the man's hand, to make them stay. But the man never listened to Tsuna, and Tsuna couldn't move. The man's large hand scooped him up, and then they entered into a dark hallway, Tsuna's house's not-supposed-to-be-dark hallway, and saw all the red. It smudged the floor and the wall. The smell…Tsuna didn't smell anything, but he knew what it was supposed to smell like. He never wanted to smell it again. And Mama was covered in it.

He couldn't remember what happened after the red and the smell, not until the hospital where Tama got sick, and Mama couldn't get up for a long time, and the yellow-haired man never appeared. But the smell returned, and Tsuna stood on rocking wood. The yellow- haired man – his father – threw back his head in a dying gasp and sprinkled the yellow with—

"You don't have to watch this," said a voice as green cloth blocked the clashing colors. "From what I understood from Irie and the others, it wasn't your fault."

Tsuna stood still as he found himself both taking a step forward and back. Gentle, bespectacled eyes crinkled painfully at the edges as Tsuna wondered why Uncle Kawahira was here. But then, Tsuna wasn't supposed to be on a boat either. Or was he? But why should he be? He had been when—

"Tsunayoshi," said Kawahira, a hand on Tsuna's should stopping the confusion spinning in Tsuna's thoughts. "We will get your brother back."

"Tama?" said Tsuna, surprised by his voice. Was it supposed to sound that high? And why was Uncle Kawahira so tall? "You'll help me get Tama back?"

"As far as I am able," said Kawahira. "Though I think I will do more to hinder than to help. Tsunayoshi, you have to understand that I could not let them take you."

Quick flashes of chains and an unconscious Tama replaced the boat and a ghost-like grip pressed around his wrist.

"Why?" Tsuna said, his voice deeper now as his throat tightened. Kawahira looked the right height again.

"I don't know," said Kawahira. His head tilted to the side, and he examined Tsuna. "I had reasons, but I'm not sure they are valid."

What reasons? The question bounced to the tip of Tsuna's tongue, but Tsuna was tired of reasons. The yellow-haired man – his father – had reasons. The men in the black coats had reasons. Byakuran had reasons. Reborn had reasons. Tama had reasons. Mama had reasons. Tsuna didn't want any more reasons.

"Go away," Tsuna whispered. His head fell into his chest, but he didn't let his knees collapse. He didn't want Kawahira to stay. "Leave."

"I would, but it's dangerous here," said Kawahira. "He's the best human illusionist I have ever seen."

Tsuna was sure he was supposed to ask who, but Tsuna didn't want to know. He didn't want to care. He wanted to go back to the park. No, he wanted to go back to before the park. But Kawahira wasn't letting him. Kawahira needed to go.

"I will go," said Kawahira. "It takes too much energy to stay in a mind where I am not welcome, unless I employ more permanent means. But I won't. Instead I'll give you some more protection."

A brown streak of fur appeared in the air between them and wrapped itself around Tsuna's neck.

"Be careful," said Kawahira before fading. "I wouldn't want you disappearing before I can give you my reasons."

Tsuna sighed and sat as he realized everything around him was black. He wasn't at the boat or the park or his house's hallway. His knees pressed against his chest, and Tsuna decided that this was probably better than those other places.

"I know a better place," said a voice. Tsuna didn't bother to look up. He didn't care who it was. He didn't want to care. "A place with your brother."

"No! Leave him alone!" cried a half-strangled voice, pleading. "Yo—"

The second voice cut off, and Tsuna dredged his head up. He couldn't see anyone. The furry thing around his neck – Mugetsu – growled.

"So many protectors," said the first voice mockingly. "And still so easy to reach."

Mugetsu yelped and was pulled off of Tsuna's neck. The action caused Tsuna to stand and snatch the creature back.

"I see," said the silky first voice. "Perhaps your mysterious protector knew what he was doing after all."

Tsuna remained quiet. He stared out into the dark void without interest. Mugetsu wrapped itself around Tsuna's arm. Tsuna vaguely wondered why he wasn't freaking out, like perhaps he should have – would have done. But he was too tired. He couldn't care. He didn't want to.

"You don't have to," said the silky voice. "If you give me your mysterious protector's pet, you won't ever have to worry about that again."

The dark void didn't reveal anything. The voice remained that, a voice. The heat curled in his stomach as if trying to tell Tsuna something, but Tsuna simply stared into the blank darkness.

"If you're merely going to stand there, I will take that as consent," said the voice, and Tsuna could almost feel a warm coldness like a bloodied sword brush past him.

"No! Aniki, wake up! Stop him! Please!" came the second voice before fading into a gurgle.

"I believe I told you to remain silent," said the first voice.

"Papa's dead," said Tsuna into the darkness. The coldness lost any semblance of warmth, like if the sheath that had covered the sword had suddenly ceased to do its job. Vaguely a recollection of Yamamoto-san's lecture on swords and their owners passed through Tsuna's mind before it became as blank as the darkness.

"So the former young lion of Vongola is dead," said the first voice after a lengthy pause. "All the more reason to allow me in. I will take care of avenging him for you."

"Papa's dead," repeated the second voice.

"Killed by the same men who took you. They want me, and they'll stop at nothing to capture me," said the first voice. "So why don't you two be good boys and allow me to put those monsters in their place?"

Tsuna's mouth opened with the words he had said too many times on the tip on his tongue. But they stayed trapped there. This voice, this man, wouldn't let Tama go. Just like the Vindice wouldn't, and the strange albino wouldn't. No one would let Tsuna take Tama's place.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked the first voice.

"Aniki," came the second, and after a gasp it continued in a strangely clear tone. _"Please…please…Aniki…Don't give up."_

"I won't," said Tsuna firmly. The coldness jerked away, and Tsuna stared out into the blackness. "I'll get you back, Tama."

A hiss followed the statement, but Tsuna barely heard it. A weak warmth wrapped itself around Tsuna.

"_Thank you, Aniki."_

* * *

><p>Nana found herself in a familiar room. She had grown used to waking here, to knowing that one or the other of the children, usually I-pin, would come in to say a good morning and ask for breakfast. She had started to enjoy the many sounds of arguing and laughter and chatter that would sound through the rooms as time passed and everyone slowly (or in Tsuna's case not-so-slowly) woke.<p>

Nana wished she had woken thinking about breakfast and whether or not to replenish the first aid kit that seemed to empty itself quickly due to the boys and the men increasing their training. But her heart had not let her forget. Each beat pressed painfully against her chest, and her throat and eyes burned. Her husband was gone. Iemitsu. The man who had come up to her one day out of the blue and asked her to leave her job to spend the day with him. The man who had proposed by kidnapping her and whisking her off to Venice simply so he could ask her under the Italian sky. The man who made every day with him an adventure and an unforgettable pleasure. The man who had given Nana her two greatest blessings in her world. He was gone and never coming back. And she….

The burn in her throat worsened. Her heart leapt into her throat and squeezed. Nana covered her face with her hand as tears trailed down her face.

"I was wrong," said a deep voice. Nana didn't need to remove her hand to know that Tsuyoshi sat next to her. "Your husband loved your sons."

Nana didn't say anything, turning away from the man.

"Your husband was more like my Mako than I realized," said Tsuyoshi. Nana let the hand slip from her face and fall onto the pillow, gripping its edge. Tsuyoshi continued. "I never told Takeshi, but her death wasn't from a normal cancer. He was too young at the time to realize what was actually happening, and I never found the right time to explain to him exactly what Mako gave to protect us. She and I had decided to get out of the Mafia, but in our _famiglia_…in any _famiglia_, leaving the mafia isn't a choice that most people can make. Becoming part of a _famiglia_ isn't all that hard, but leaving it…most people don't survive the process."

Like Mako didn't? Nana felt the question part her lips, but no sound succeeded in escaping them even as she found herself turning to face Tsuyoshi. A soft smile let her know that he had heard her soundless query.

"We belonged to a _famiglia_ called the Estraneo," Tsuyoshi continued. "Actually, I was a freelance assassin that worked often with the Estraneos due to Mako's position amongst their top scientists. Part of me always wondered how she came to be in such a position when she rarely sounded like she was making sense. But I grew to understand that the other scientists knew what she was saying. But it was her silence that drew me in. Mako never needed to yell at anyone to get her point across, she only had to look at them."

The woman Nana had seen in pictures with a tentative smile and bright hazel eyes crossed her thoughts with a dangerous glint that Nana had often seen come into Mako's son's eyes when Takeshi had decided to be serious. Somehow, Nana didn't doubt that Mako rarely had to yell, not that Nana spent her time screaming either. Nana had learned long ago that screaming for attention…it didn't work.

"She was the one who convinced her boss that she could continue her experiments in Japan. My Mako knew how to start a business as well, and she saw to it that 'our cover' would be a business with no true ties to the Mafia. I think she had decided to exit that life long before I had, but she always was smart. And when our chance to exit came, she decided she would be prepared to take it. For me, it was easier since my position had always been freelance, but for her…After Mako became pregnant, I believe she decided to keep working for the Estraneos."

Believe? Didn't Mako tell him? Nana tried to get the message across with her eyes, because her mouth failed to work. The smile stretched as dark hazel eyes gazed back at Nana's in pain as Tsuyoshi shook his head.

"She never talked about her plans with me," he said with a faint note of longing. "But I loved her silence, and so she didn't need to. I understood her intentions when she doubled her work after giving birth to Takeshi. But then her boss assigned her to a project that she couldn't participate in. I won't lie and say she never participated in those projects, but she couldn't do them after Takeshi."

The question breathed past her lips. Why? Tsuyoshi turned away.

"They involved children," said Tsuyoshi his voice low and full of regret. The answer hung in the air as Nana imagined her boys poked, prodded, and cringing in pain under strange analytical eyes. A small gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it, and Tsuyoshi's shoulders cringed as she had imagined what lives her boys would have lived under such cold calculating hands. "Mako…My Mako wasn't perfect. To survive, she had often took part in such experiments. She would say that the children were unwanted and lucky to be off the streets, but she knew of the Estraneo's practice of taking children as a way of paying off their parent's debt. And some of the debt collectors took pleasure in inflicting the most pain possible when collecting a child, usually choosing the child the parents loved most with the excuse that anything less would be unacceptable."

This time, Nana's hand found its way to her gaping mouth though she had no gasp to contain, only a wordless scream come up from her soul at the thought of such men dragging her Tama or Tsuna out of her arms.

"After Takeshi, Mako could no longer ignore the situation. She would not take part of the experiment. The subject was a boy that had been taken away from his mother to pay off a 50 million yen debt. Mako fought for him to be placed back with his mother, and Giuseppe – the Estraneo boss – said that if she was so adamant about it then she should be the one to take the boy's place as the test subject. Mako…she knew how to take advantage of a situation and agreed to become the test subject in place of the boy. She listed all the benefits that would come from her being both the test subject and an observing scientist. I wasn't there but I heard from a friend who was that she even used me as a threat and gained not only a promise from Guiseppe for the boy's freedom but for hers and mine as well. She said that if she survived the test, she would never have to do another experiment for Guiseppe again. Guiseppe agreed to her terms, and Mako got straight to work on the project, no doubt in her mind that she would survive to see her family free of her _famiglia_."

Tsuyoshi's mouth formed a broken version of a fond smile, and Nana found her hand leaving her face and reaching his hand. She squeezed it and shook her head. He didn't have to finish. She could guess the rest on her own, and the pain painted on his face so closely echoed the one in her heart that she couldn't let him continue. He squeezed back as the smile softened into something less broken.

"They protected us," said Tsuyoshi, his eyes as soft and broken as his smile. Nana felt her own face mirror the expression.

"They did," she whispered back, the words echoing in her head as her forehead leaned against their joint hands, her eyes closed, and tears soaked her cheeks. "They did."


	50. Seeing the Obvious

Chapter 50: _Seeing the Obvious_

Tsuna stirred and opened his eyes a sliver, enough to see by. He was on a bed. The room around the bed was fairly cluttered and reminded Tsuna of one place: Kawahira's house. Or Tama's room after Tama trashed it looking for something. Though honestly, Tsuna's room wasn't much better, and Tama's looked better since Reborn had started living in their house. But neither Sawada's room had ancient pottery and scrolls stacked nearby a huge bed. Carefully shifting, Tsuna tried to take in the rest of the room, but concerned green eyes caught his attention before he could.

"I see you're awake," said Lancia, and Tsuna fought back the urge to swallow. He had hoped no one else would be in the room. Now it would be harder to leave. Tsuna closed his eyes cutting off the view of the green eyes, too scared about exactly what those eyes might see. If Lancia found out what Tsuna was planning to do…but Tsuna needed to do it. And he couldn't-_wouldn't_-let anyone stop him this time. "Do you want me to go get the storm arcobaleno or Ma-Nana-san? They are at the Yamamoto's, but I could go get them. They have been waiting to hear from you."

Tsuna shook his head, relieved to hear that _Shishō _wasn't around. If Tsuna was in Kawahira's house, then Reborn and _Shishō _were probably back with the Yamamotos'. They would all be planning the funeral and hopefully trusting Kawahira to keep an eye on Tsuna. Tsuna wondered how the two teachers let him out of their sight, but the memory of the street to Yamamoto-san's restaurant and heart-clenching fear blurred in front of him.

His mother…she was….she was waiting for them. No. They would have told her by now. The thought burned and clawed at his throat, but Tsuna pushed it down. He couldn't face her. He had promised to get Tama back, and he couldn't…He had to get Tama back. Everything would be fine after he got Tama back.

A hand landed on Tsuna's shoulder, and Tsuna flinched backward. The hand disappeared, and Tsuna could almost feel a change, a helpless sadness, in the air. If he opened his eyes, he would find the green eyes asking, begging, to know how they could help. The certainty that he would find Lancia looking at him like that startled Tsuna into letting his eyes peek open. Lancia's green eyes shone with the exact plea Tsuna had known they would, but the brunet quickly forgot that as he forced himself to give Lancia a shaky smile that only made the other man frown.

"Did Kawahira-san fix your…the problem?" asked Tsuna.

"Rokudo Mukuro no longer has a direct connection to my mind," said Lancia. The green eyes stared at Tsuna piercingly, pityingly. "I will always live with the echo of his consciousness against mine. But you should not be concerned about that."

Blood splattered on sun-colored hair, warm chocolate brown eyes drowning in dark tears, and a whispering gasping voice all crossed Tsuna's mind, but Tsuna quickly pushed them away. His hands clutched tighter on the blanket.

The hand once again pressed against Tsuna's shoulder, and this time Tsuna shook it off. He needed Lancia to leave. Tsuna needed to leave. He had promised Tama, and Tsuna would make sure no one would get hurt.

"Kawahira-san wanted me to inform him of when you awoke," said Lancia, withdrawing his hand and standing from his chair. Tsuna couldn't look the tall man in the face, because Tsuna needed to keep others from getting hurt even if they hurt a little before. "I am sure he will tell Yamamoto-san and the others. Fuuta wanted to know how you were as well. I will return with him shortly."

Tsuna nodded and listened as the man took the requisite steps to exit the room, and as soon as the door to the room closed Tsuna jumped out of bed. Every muscle ached, but Tsuna ignored them like he did during training. Kind, black eyes guiding the best out of him contrasted hard, obsidian that demanding greatness out of him, but Tsuna shoved the images back.

Unfortunately, the image wouldn't disappear into the darkness easily. Instead others joined it, of twin wide, cheerful grins that belonged to two generations, of discussions between to bespectacled geniuses that contained words too hard for Tsuna to follow, of small hands clinging to his neck and arms as they tried in play to bring him down, of floating objects and large hands trying to bring the gravity-less objects back down, of tonfas flashing every which way with quiet chirpy singing in the background, of stupid enigmatic tones followed by a snarky frog hat…more images swirled together of colors and things and _people_. Smudges of a girl with sharp, demanding eyes joined the swirl, along with a quiet wordless presence that had almost been forgotten in the midst of Tama's kidnappings.

"So you would leave them so easily?" asked a voice that in the swirl lost its identity. Tsuna fought to push the images away, to make them disappear, to forget them and focus on keeping his promise. "If you go alone, you will never come back to them."

"I…I promised," Tsuna said in a quivering whisper. He wanted to yell, to scream, to shout the words, but he couldn't. They barely passed his lips in the horrible, disorienting swirl. "Tama…Tama needs me…"

"But he isn't the only one," said the voice. "Not any longer. Too many others rely on you now."

"W-What?" The word was painful to say, to think. But Tsuna couldn't help but say it. He would have said more, but yellow warmth mixed with blue silk cloth while sharp tones clashed with soft hands. Arms wrapped around Tsuna, but many arms at once and yet one at a time. Arms Tsuna knew somehow but couldn't identify as they slipped into laughter and swift silver movements.

"What indeed. What will it take for you to see what for the rest of us is blindingly obvious? You need to let yourself see it, or it won't stop. What you see, you need to let yourself see or the images, they will become more vivid and constricting. It's an illusion, of course, but not one you can break even if you recognize it as an illusion. It is the kind _he_ would use."

Tsuna struggled to see past the blurry and sharp images. Hands stroking his forehead, fingers wrapped around his wrist, echoing and overlapped laughter, warmth flooding his cheeks as the taste of rice filled his mouth, blows knocking the wind out of his stomach as grey sharpness pierced his vision, quiet violet glittering as a hand brushed against his…the sensations overwhelming him.

"Wha…what do I…what should…I see?" Tsuna asked, barely able to concentrate long enough to squeeze the words out. Sparkling gold itched up his arm as red singed the other lightly. Humming filled his ears as warm smells invaded his nose.

"What you should already have seen," said the voice, not forcing itself to be understood over the images, sounds, smells, touches, or tastes, but being understood anyway. "Something that should not have taken this extreme measure to notice."

The images became less like flashes and more solid. Tsuna lay in bed beside a tiny worried looking Tama, and then his head found itself in Mama's lap as her fingers ran through his hair. A girl with violet eyes shyly tugged at a strand of his hair as she whispered that she liked how soft it was and a soft pink colored her usually pale skin.

Tsuna closed his eyes to open them on top of the school roof, and Hana handed him a boxed lunch with a determined look of "eat it" while Takeshi took out a wrapped package while mentioning something about sushi making for good desert and Gokudera growling that "Tsuna-sama" needed something with more nutritional value and that sushi definitely did not make a good desert.

The scene faded as silver flashed toward Tsuna and his hand caught it. Steel blue eyes bored into his as Tsuna stepped back to avoid a kick aimed at his feet, but then a bell rang and the owner of the steel blue eyes lowered the silver weapon and turned around with a quick command to use the five minutes before class to clean up. A tug on Tsuna's hand made Tsuna look down.

Green eyes widened as Lambo put on his most whiny voice, begging Tsuna to play, and I-pin tugged Lambo's free hand and snapped at Lambo that Tsuna had training with _Shishō _first. Lambo let go with a pout that had Tsuna promising to play afterwards. New larger hands grabbed one of Tsuna's and pressed a knife into it.

Tsuna glanced nervously at the fish that lay on the counter, but Yamamoto-san patted Tsuna's shoulder and said that Tsuna needed to focus on cutting the fish and that's all the boy would cut. Fuuta gazed in slight wonder as Tsuna sliced down on the fish before asking Tsuna if he could have some while Lancia entered the shop and joined the boy at the bar counter.

A frog hat bobbed up as a mouth beneath it munched on a rice ball while pulling it out of the reach of a very white hand which led violet eyes to twitch in annoyance and glare at the frog hatted traitor. Shoichi simply sighed and put on a tired smile as he said thanks.

Small hands lifted Tsuna up and gently moved his feet and arms to the proper position to execute the _Kaze Ryu's_ third form. A tiny foot knocked Tsuna to the ground followed by a voice that demanded him to do better.

"This is not the first conversation we have had like this," said the voice, disrupting the images, blurring them. "I have lived too long to think that three times is the charm. If you do not succeed the first time, you better succeed the second time, because the third time will probably not come. If you do not stop this self-destructive behavior, you will not leave this illusion. You have no way to break through this, and it will not break until you listen. And you will listen."

Tsuna found himself surrounded with people. No, not people, his friends, his family. He couldn't see their expressions, but he could…he could feel them. Deep, heavy, horrible…

"Do you want to avoid this?" asked the voice.

"What is this?" asked Tsuna, but he could barely hear his own words.

"Exactly what it looks like," answered the voice, and Tsuna found himself standing next to Kawahira. "What will happen if you do not stop."

"Stop what?"

"Look behind you."

Tsuna shook his head, and he didn't close his eyes. He couldn't, but he wanted to. He didn't want to know what was behind him, why his friends, his family, wore such blank (dead) eyes. Hands fell on his shoulders, and Tsuna faced an opened black coffin with golden edging. Inside lay a young twenty-something man with soft brown hair. Tsuna could see the man's face, but he knew who it was.

"Where's Tama-kun?" asked Tsuna, trying to take his eyes off his older self's body – _corpse_ something whispers.

"Do you think he would survive this?" asked the voice (Unc—no, Kawahira, just Kawahira). "After all, he's only alive because of you."

"He's gone…lost…because me," said Tsuna.

"Really?" answered Kawahira. "I was under the impression that the Vindice were the ones to capture him."

"Because of me," Tsuna whispered.

"So they didn't take Tamaki simply to lure a long thought dead Daemon Spade."

"They…they wanted me."

"They didn't care who they took. They do not care who they hurt. They have one goal in mind. And that goal is not you."

"But…why?"

The question came out shaky, and suddenly Tsuna felt small. Tiny, surrounded by tall walls. Tears pricked his eyes, and all he wanted to do was stay right where he was and cry. He wanted everything to stop hurting.

"I'm sorry," the voice—Uncle Kawahira whispered. An arm dropped around Tsuna's shoulders, and Tsuna looked up into the ice blue eyes, staring into them. The same question repeated over and over in Tsuna's mind. "The Vindice have always been after one thing. Me."

* * *

><p>The large brown eyes caused something to stir within him that he never thought he would feel in connection to humans. They were weak creatures, and he had long thought them pitiable and unreliable, no matter what Luce thought.<p>

But this one little human (Tsunayoshi was so tiny in the boy's own mind, like he was the first time Kawahira had seen him), Kawahira had started to see what Luce had. A group of beings that were both strong and fragile at the same time and needed time and guidance to grow. He watched the little boy grow, sometimes convinced that the humans were as little and petty as he had always thought and sometimes remembering than this tiny boy was one of them and maybe they weren't all that horrible. It took nearly a year before he came to the conclusion that whatever happened, Kawahira would do his best to protect this one little human. And now, his mistakes were the cause of the same human's pain.

He had known that sooner or later, the boy would become embroiled into the mafia world. The mafia world, specifically the _famiglia_ which held one set of the tri-ni-sette, was the reason he had even come into contact with the tiny child. He had planted the thought into the so-called Young Lion of Vongola's mind to place an illusionist in Namimori to protect the CEDEF leader's family, and then Kawahira had made himself subtly known. The Vongola Ninth's men had approached him, and Kawahira had run a few boring missions to "prove his worth." Then Kawahira was put on the long-term mission to keep other _famiglie_ from finding the future possible heirs of the Vongola rings.

For Kawahira, that was all they were. He wanted to make sure the Vongola rings would fall into capable hands. What he found was a boy Kawahira thought too fragile to hold more of the world on his shoulders. And yet, the world had still dumped its fate on the boy's shoulders. And Kawahira had a hand in sealing the small human's fate.

"You?" asked the too-young Tsunayoshi. He shouldn't look so young. The boy should have grown to see himself as more than the simple lost little boy that stumbled into Kawahira's backyard by instinct alone, looking for somewhere that felt safe. Humans should feel safe in their own homes, not in the homes of strangers. No one should.

"Yes, me," answered Kawahira, lowering himself to the small human's height. "The Vindice are after me."

"Why?" asked Tsunayoshi. His large eyes shone and shook with tears.

"Because in order to protect this world, I have made many enemies," answered Kawahira. "And they are still trying to kill me."

"Oh," whispered Tsuna, his eyes falling to the floor. The little human neither tensed nor pulled away. "They want to hurt you too."

"No, not 'too,'" said Kawahira. "He wanted to hurt me. He still does. As do probably both your teachers, if they knew who I was."

"_Shishō_ and Reborn-san?" asked Tsunayoshi. The eyes were wide enough to swallow a lesser being whole.

"Yes. After all, I was the one to curse them," said Kawahira. "And I was the one to curse the Vindice."

"Curse?"

For an instant, Kawahira hated those large eyes. Hated that they made him feel…things he hadn't since his people had all but died out. Since there were only seven and then less. Since he had managed to convince himself that this new species of humans weren't worth worrying over beyond the mission to keep what remained of their home safe. Those eyes…Kawahira found himself refusing to lie to those eyes.

"Surely you don't think that your teachers are in those tiny bodies by choice? They are cursed to be arcobaleno."

"Arcobaleno?" asked Tsunayoshi. The large brown eyes didn't narrow, didn't change. Instead, his head tilted in a way that would have Luce squealing.

"When is your violent tutor going to start your Italian lessons?" Kawahira mused. "It means rainbow. And in this case it refers to the seven strongest people in the world who are shrunk down to baby form in order to act as batteries for the pacifiers they wear around their necks."

The tilted head didn't straighten, and a small smile teased at Kawahira's lips even as the action worried him. The small human seemed to regressing further into himself. Tsunayoshi should not be so confused by Kawahira's words. The boy was not the smartest academically or extremely clever, but he could make connections. The boy was not stupid, despite all his difficulties.

"Did it hurt?" asked Tsunayoshi, slowly looking away from Kawahira.

"Yes," said Kawahira, waiting for the boy to finally pull away even as memories of the pain of becoming one of the seven pillars surged through Kawahira. The first time one of the humans put on a pacifier flashed across his mind along with all the ones who followed. The screams still rang in his ears. "It hurt a lot."

A hand clung to his sleeve and then gently tugged. Again, the large brown eyes drew Kawahira's in.

"I'm sorry," said Tsunayoshi. Kawahira stared at the boy, and he realized exactly how powerful the boy was. And unlike others, he knew that that strength had little to do with the boy's flames. No, the strength lay in the boy's compassion. But that same compassion might cause the boy to implode.

"Tsunayoshi," Kawahira said quietly. "You have people who care about you. And you need to allow them to help you."

"But Tama-kun—," Tsuna whispered.

"We will help you," said Kawahira. "That is why we are here. We will get your Tama-kun back."

"Even if _Shishō_ and Reborn-san want to hurt you?"

"Perhaps," said Kawahira as he put on his most dangerous smile, "it is nearly time for my game to commence."

* * *

><p>Reborn glared at the body of the former Young Lion of Vongola, cursing the dead man for his idiocy. This whole mess was Iemitsu's fault, and the man had once again avoided dealing with the consequences of his actions. Iemitsu and Reborn had never seen eye-to-eye. The blond man had too easy going a manner for Reborn to fully take him seriously, and Iemitsu's efforts to get Reborn to "loosen up" had usually made matters worse. However, there had been a mutual respect. Now even that was gone. How could one man single-handedly ruin the future of Italy's most prominent <em>famiglia<em>?

"I do not think he is going to give you the pleasure of returning to life simply so you can kill him."

Reborn scoffed and shifted his attention to the storm arcobaleno whose serene face contrasted with his hard black eyes.

"How is Mama doing?" asked Reborn.

"Tsuyoshi seems to be doing a fair job aiding _Mamma_ to grieve," said Fon. He sat beside Reborn on the top of the shelf, facing the lifeless body on the table.

"And Dame-Tsuna?"

"We still have not heard from him or Kawahira," said Fon, staring at the body and away from Reborn's glittering dark ones.

"Nono wants to start their training soon," said Reborn.

"Lancia will contact us before then."

"If you say so." Reborn smirked at the small frown that appeared on the martial artist's face. But the shadow that fell over the hitman's eyes gave the smirk a threatening air. Dame-Tsuna wasn't around this time to stop them.

"So the rumors were true."

Frowning slightly at the interruption, Reborn turned to his first student.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Dino-san," said Fon.

"It wasn't any trouble," said Dino with his most debonair smile. Reborn wanted to smack some sense into his former student about timing. A morgue was hardly the place to employ charm. And Romario stood in the doorway not too far from them, so Dino had no excuse. "Besides, I was hoping to find out why my little bros have been missing school. I now have to assume that the rumors floating around have something to do with their disappearance."

"When was the last time you checked up on your little brothers?" asked Fon.

"A month ago," answered Dino, his face and ears flushing. Reborn's fists clenched and if his student kept going, the blond would find himself under Reborn's feet and with a concussion. Dino stepped further away from the hitman as if sensing his former teacher's displeasure. "I've been busy trying to keep up with paper work from home. It's a good thing that there isn't much trouble back home, or I wouldn't still be here. Gaining a solid alliance with the Vongola is still the top priority, but with the rumors going around, that might soon change. Especially considering the fact that some of them are true."

"The death of the CEDEF leader is not that great a loss," said Reborn, his eyes glittering beneath the shadow of his fedora. "He would have caused more problems had he survived."

"That might be true, but his death has brought trouble enough," said Fon. "One of the Vongola heirs is still missing, and the other has become emotional unstable."

Reborn grunted. He had never been fond of that particular phrase, but it suited the situation. Dame-Tsuna had better snap out of his idiocy soon, or Reborn would snap the boy out of it personally.

"How bad is it?" asked Dino, his posture straightening as his voice lowered.

"What have the rumors said?" asked Fon, and Reborn's hand gripped the rim of his hat. That question was not one Reborn wanted to hear the answer to. Reborn had barely held himself back from annihilating the flock of beetles that had brought him exactly what the rumors entailed.

"There is too much exaggeration to know exactly what is and isn't true," said Dino, and Reborn felt that at least one of his students was using his lessons well. "The real problem is that there is a general sense that Vongola is vulnerable. Whether or not the CEDEF leader would have caused more problems alive, it would be a show of strength if he was still living and breathing."

"Unfortunately, he isn't, and we must work around it," said Fon steadily. "In less than two weeks, we will hold the funeral ceremony at the Vongola villa in Sicily. And then the Vindice will appear to force Tsuna into a deal, though they will probably not do so in public. The Vongola Nono will likely ask you for your help in dissuading them."

"The Vindice?" Dino said in a squeak, and Reborn scowled. Apparently, none of his students had learned anything at all. Leon tried to crawl onto Reborn's hand, but Reborn shifted his grip to wrap around the tiny chameleon, and it instantly shifted into his favorite gun.

"He asked you a valid question," Reborn said, his tone darkening as his voice lowered. "Will you or will you not aid the Vongola?"

"Of course I will," Dino blurted, stepping back again with arms outstretched as if they could protect him from his former tutor. A smirk appeared beneath sharp obsidian eyes. So his former student wasn't entirely hopeless. "What do the Vindice want with my little bros? And what about Tama-chan?"

Reborn almost smirked at the nickname that had so irritated the brat, but the history behind the name quickly replaced the budding smirk with a frown. He huffed silently to rid himself of it and pierced his former student with his gaze.

"The Vindice kidnapped the brat. Dame-Tsuna organized a rescue that ended in the idiot's death thanks to Iemitsu's own actions and the stupidity he passed down to both his sons."

"And what did my first little bro do to get the Vindice's attention?"

"Unfortunately, that particular stupidity is your 'second' little bro's fault." Reborn growled the 'second.' The stubborn idiocy of his students should have limits, but it continued to irritate Reborn by surpassing even his low expectations of his student's common sense. "He made a deal with them in his brother's name. That brought him to the Vindice's attention, and they decided to use him in one of their schemes. The scheme resulted much the same as Dame-Tsuna's rescue attempt."

"Tsuna's plan was sound," said Fon. Reborn wondered if Dame-Tsuna really needed a martial artist instructor. "The situation however took several unexpected turns."

"He was going to trade places with the brat," growled Reborn. Leon heated in Reborn's hand, and Reborn loosened his grip on the gun-shaped chameleon. "Dame-Tsuna didn't understand the point of the rescue. It would have failed regardless."

"Perhaps. But Tsunayoshi did come up with a solid plan and trusted us to help him."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir," said Romario, earning two intense black-eyed stares. The man trembled but didn't move back. He didn't speak either.

"Romario, what is it?" asked Dino, getting slightly between the two arcobaleno and the sweaty Romario. The tall man coughed and cleared his throat.

"The…um…the base called. Stephano said that there has been some reports of strange activity in Brindisi."

"The Massino?" asked Dino as he straightened. Reborn and Fon's attention heightened at the mention of the name. The last Reborn had heard of the Massinos, they had been trying to forge an alliance with the Gesso. "What happened?"

"According to the reports, the Massinos failed to meet with the Gessos at the arranged place, a café on the Viale Aldo Moro, three days ago. Then a day later they didn't answer a Genovese invitation to discuss the access to the Massino ports. As of today, Brindisi has become a black hole of information. The contacts of our allied _famiglie_ have stopped their flow of information. Several _famiglie_ have already presumed that Brindisi has been completely overrun by law enforcement, however our satellite imagery has not supported that idea. The streets are literally empty whereas two days ago they were certainly people using them. We fear a new _famiglia_ has appeared and taken over the Massino base."

"Do there remain any Massino family members outside of Brindisi?"

"No. Two days before the meeting with the Gesso, the Massino reunion took place. Every member had to be present as they do every five years. The other _famiglie_ in alliance with Vongola went to meet and discuss how the situation should be dealt with. According to our intelligence, the newly-allied Gesso _famiglia_ is the one from which the request to meet originated."

Reborn frowned even as his former student did the same. The Gesso had only joined the Vongola alliance less than three months back. For them to rally the rest of the alliance against Vongola so soon did not bode well.

"Have the news of the CEDEF leader's death spread to Italy yet?" asked Dino. Romario's body jerked straighter answering Dino's question and rendering the following words unnecessary.

"No, sir."

The frown became more prominent on the young boss's face as he glanced at Reborn. The hitman gave his student a slight nod and turned to Fon.

"I believe Fuuta-kun is coming to play with I-pin and Lambo," said Fon. "I will speak to him and persuade him to reveal the location of Kawahira's residence."

"I will speak to Vongola Nono," said Reborn. A smirk curled the edges of his mouth. "It's far past time for our student to stop sulking."

* * *

><p>Fuuta didn't know if this was a good idea. Lambo had begged and whined and been really annoying. The ranking planet definitely was right when it ranked Lambo as the 6th out of the Mafia's 93214 most annoying Mafioso. If Lambo had been the only one, Fuuta could have ignored him, but I-pin was worse.<p>

She didn't say anything. She had looked up at him and then clutched the tiny stuffed lion keychain. Tsuna had given it to her the last time he had gone to the arcade. I-pin had carried it around since Tsuna left with the others to rescue his brother, and when Tsuna didn't come home with the others, I-pin hadn't said anything, not one word.

_Mamma_ hadn't noticed because she was sad, and Yamamoto-san had been too busy helping _Mamma_ smile again. Fuuta had noticed, because he had been like that after _Papa—_and so Fuuta couldn't say no, even though he knew that Lancia-san would be mad at him. So five minutes after coming to play with Lambo and I-pin, the three had started back to Uncle Kawahira's store without telling _Mamma_, Yamamoto-san, or even I-pin's master.

"Eh? Is that it?" asked Lambo staring at the small unremarkable store. "It looks stupid. Why would 哥哥' want to stay here?"

"Lambo, you have to be quiet," said Fuuta, wanting to put a finger to his mouth but not being able to since he was holding onto Lambo and I-pin's hands. "If Uncle Kawahira notices that you're outside, it'll disappear."

"It's still stupid," the smaller boy said and stuck a finger from his free hand up his nose. At least the words were quieter.

I-pin squeezed Fuuta's hand.

"哥哥' in there?"

Fuuta smiled at the quiet words and nodded. Slowly, he pulled the two smaller kids into the shop. He stepped on his tiptoes, and Lambo and I-pin copied him. They passed through the front room where a lot of cool and old things sat on shelves or hung on the wall or decorated the floors. Lambo's fingers straightened and tugged out of Fuuta's hand, but Fuuta quickly grabbed the fingers again and gave Lambo a Gokudera look.

"Let go!" cried Lambo. He tried to pull his hand out of Fuuta's. "I want to touch it!"

"Lambo! Shhh! Uncle Kawahira's going to hear you!" whispered Fuuta, or rather he meant to but his voice still came out loud.

"But it wants Lambo-sama to touch it!"

A cow-print clad hand reached for a silver medallion. It hung from green twine tied to the sash of a samurai's armor. Fuuta blinked. He hadn't seen that armor when he left this morning. Did Uncle Kawahira remodel while he was gone? Lambo's tugging didn't let Fuuta focus too much on the armor's sudden appearance.

"No! Lambo, stop! We're not supposed to touch anything!"

Fuuta had to grab Lambo's hand with both of his and pull the little boy back as Lambo tugged harder, fingers coming closer to the dangling object. With a quick tug, Fuuta managed to pull the little boy back, but unfortunately Fuuta pulled too hard because Lambo fell back into him and the two boys tumbled backwards and into something hard. Looking up, Fuuta saw a very amused grin looming over them.

"You two shouldn't play here," said Uncle Kawahira as he continued to look straight down on them. "I don't think you have enough money to replace anything you might break in here."

"Lambo-sama wasn't playing! Lambo-sama needed to touch that!" cried Lambo as he pointed to the silver medallion.

"Hm, well that's a problem," said Uncle Kawahira quietly as if he was not really talking to them. "It seems I am trying to hold too many illusions in place at once. It has been a long time since I have been stretched so thin. Best get the Gesso's boy to help me then."

"That is Lambo-sama's! Give it to me!" demanded Lambo, and Uncle Kawahira looked at him. Lambo gulped and pushed himself more into Fuuta's stomach. Fuuta might have protested, but his throat squeezed and stopped his breathing.

"I'm afraid that that particular item isn't yours. Not in this world at the least. Or any that I know of. You cannot touch that. It will kill you and all those within a mile radius. However, if you prove to be damaging to my shop or Yamamoto-san's, I will make sure to hand it to you and allow you to self-destruct."

Lambo was shaking, but Fuuta barely felt it over his own.

"哥-哥哥' won't l-let you hurt L-Lambo!" Lambo screamed even as he dug himself deeper into Fuuta's stomach. Fuuta didn't know whether he thought Lambo was brave or if he wanted Lambo to be quiet.

"Your 哥哥' isn't at his best right now, and I don't think losing a whiny brat would hurt his situation. You don't want to cause more problems for your 哥哥', do you?"

Fuuta could feel as every one of Lambo's muscles tensed.

"So either behave, or I'll make sure you don't cause your 哥哥' problems. He already has one little brother that has caused him an endless amount of problems, he doesn't need another."

"NO!" cried Lambo even louder than before. Tears came out in big blobs from huge green eyes as the little boy stood up suddenly on Fuuta's lap. "Lambo's a good brother! Lambo's never going to let 哥哥' get hurt! Lambo even trained with I-pin to help 哥哥'! Kawahira's a big dummy if he thinks Lambo would hurt 哥哥'!"

Slowly, Kawahira moved to stand in front of the two boys, never taking his eyes off the standing Lambo. Lambo trembled and shuffled back into Fuuta's chest this time, and then Kawahira crouched down and stretched a hand towards Lambo, causing Lambo to become petrified. The hand landed on the little boy's short curls.

"So don't go touching dangerous things," said Uncle Kawahira. "Your 哥哥' would be very hurt if you got hurt. And he could do with some little brothers who don't hurt him."

The hand lifted from Lambo's head and moved to scratch the back of Uncle Kawahira's white hair.

"I haven't dealt with children in a long time, not directly anyway, but I do believe there is a way to know for certain that you won't go hurting your 哥哥'," Uncle Kawahira said with a much less scary grin. He put out his other hand in a fist with his pinkie sticking up. "You must link your pinkie with mine and promise that you will under no circumstances cause problems for your 哥哥'. Every time you break this sacred promise, you will have to do your best to fix it. Will you swear to do this and become the best little brothers?"

At the last question, Fuuta blinked and realized that Uncle Kawahira was looking at him too. Without hesitation, Fuuta lifted his right hand and linked pinkies with Uncle Kawahira. Lambo stared between the two of them before sticking his tiny pinkie in with theirs.

"Of course! Lambo-sama's going to be the best little brother ever!" he yelled. Fuuta smiled.

"Me too!"

"It's sealed then," said Uncle Kawahira as two red strings wrapped around their pinkies. Fuuta stared as one string wound around his pinkie and formed a tight bow. The other did the same to Lambo's pinkie. "Now you are officially tied by destiny to your 哥哥'. You couldn't be his brothers any more if you were born to his mother and father. Never forget that."

"Wow," Fuuta whispered, still staring at his pinkie even as the string disappeared. _Papa_ had told Fuuta about the red strings and how they connected everyone: fathers, mothers, friends, sisters, _brothers_. And now Fuuta was connected to Tsuna-nii for real. Fuuta didn't think he was tied to anyone after _Papa_ had died.

"Lambo doesn't understand, but Lambo was already 哥哥''s little brother."

"And now no one could take that away from you," said Uncle Kawahira, standing up. "Now would you like to help me prepare some food and get your 哥哥' to eat it."

"Did Tsuna-nii wake up?" asked Fuuta.

"Yes. And he should be getting hungry. So it's best to get some food in him before one of his teachers find him and begin his training again."

"Ah!" cried Lambo, suddenly jumping off Fuuta's lap. "I-pin was supposed to wait for Lambo-sama!"

"What? Hey, where did I-pin go?" asked Fuuta standing up even as Lambo hurried to the door that led to the back of the shop. Fuuta couldn't remember seeing I-pin any time after Lambo and him fell into Uncle Kawahira.

"She went ahead while you were keeping young Lambo over there from blowing up a good chunk of my shop and the street beyond it," answered Kawahira, talking a couple of wide strides and catching Lambo by the back of his cow print onesie. "Are you going to be a good little brother and help me prepare the food or are you going to break your promise so soon?"

"Lambo-sama already told you he's going to be the best little brother!"

"Really? Because I think that's Fuuta-kun at the moment since he's the one who isn't running ahead."

Lambo glared at both Uncle Kawahira and Fuuta and squirmed in Uncle Kawahira's grip.

"That's because Lambo-sama was going to get to the food first!"

"I see," said Uncle Kawahira. "But if you go first, then how will you know where the food is?"

"Lambo-sama will follow his nose!"

"Lambo, maybe you should let Uncle Kawahira go first so he could show us where the kitchen is. I haven't been there yet either," said Fuuta with what he hoped was a calming smile.

"I can see how you're going to be a good little brother already, Fuuta-kun," said Uncle Kawahira. Lambo's squirming stopped.

"Put Lambo-sama down and Lambo-sama's going to show you how the best little brother does it! Lambo-sama's going to follow dummy Kawahira and then Lambo-sama's going to do whatever dummy Kawahira says with the food and then Lambo-sama's going to make 哥哥' eat it."

"Let us see it then."

Uncle Kawahira place Lambo on the floor, and Lambo looked up at him. When Uncle Kawahira turned around and took a step, Lambo copied it as best he could. Fuuta kept watching as the little boy did his best to match the tall man step for step. With a smile, Fuuta walked behind them, hoping to see Tsuna-nii soon so Fuuta could tell him about the red strings.


	51. Resolving Intrusions

Chapter 51: _Resolving Intrusions_

As Fuuta fought to keep Lambo from touching the round silver thing, I-pin moved away from the two like Master had taught her. Her breath was too shallow to make any sound, and her feet didn't really touch the floor as she headed to the door that had to lead to the back of the shop. I-pin had all her thoughts on finding 哥哥' so she barely stopped in time to avoid the legs on the other side of the door.

"They're making quite the racket out there, aren't they?" said the man attached to the legs. He was Tsuna's Uncle Kawahira. "I should go out and stop them. Perhaps you should continue down this hall and go into the third door to the right."

The man stepped into the front of the shop and left I-pin standing in the middle of the hallway and staring after him. She then blinked and started for the third door on the right. The door opened right before I-pin reached it, and Lancia stood in the doorway and looked down at I-pin.

"He's in there, but Kawahira-san used an illusion and it is still having some effect on his perception, so he may not see you," said Lancia. I-pin liked how he would talked to her, Lambo, and Fuuta the way he talked to the other grown-ups, at least when it was important. Even Master sounded different when he talked to her than he did when he talked to 哥哥'. "But don't stop trying to talk to him."

"_Hai_!" I-pin agreed in as loud Japanese as she could. Lancia gave her a small smile and stepped aside so that I-pin could get into the room. The room wasn't very big. A small table nearly bumped into the wall directly across from I-pin, and right next to the table a soft couch stretched out until it was right in front of the door. Another longer but thinner table sat in front of the couch and left little space between it and the wall to I-pin's left. Behind the couch, small wood shelves attached themselves to the right wall, but I-pin looked away when she saw them because they had a lot of scary weapons. 哥哥' was sitting on the couch. Large empty brown eyes moved from looking at the table to looking at I-pin, and I-pin ran straight to 哥哥' and hugged him.

"I-pin?" 哥哥' said so quietly that I-pin wouldn't have heard him if she wasn't hugging him.

"哥哥' bad! 哥哥' made Mama and Lambo scared!" she said burying her head into Tsuna's chest and muffling her words. "哥哥' had come home! 哥哥' not come home, and Mama cry, and Lambo cry, and Master not know, and _I-pin was worried! I-pin didn't know if __哥哥__' was coming back. I-pin didn't want the brother of __哥哥__' to come back if it meant __哥哥__' didn't come back. Why didn't you come back?"_

Heedless to the Chinese babble, a hand gently rubbed the back of I-pin's neck as I-pin's fingers formed fists around Tsuna's pajama shirt. It grew wet with her tears, and she clung tighter to her 哥哥'.

"I'm sorry," came a whisper. I-pin managed to pull away from the shirt to look up at sad, brown eyes.

"Mama worry and Yamamoto-san and Takeshi and Lambo. No do that again," she said, wagging her finger. "I-pin no want to worry, so 哥哥' promise."

A small smile appeared beneath the shimmering brown eyes.

"I can't promise. I promised to take care of Tama-kun, and I can't break that promise."

"I-pin okay if 哥哥' go get Tama-kun, but 哥哥' promise to come back. If 哥哥' no promise, then I-pin tell Master. 哥哥' has to come back."

Tiny brown eyes held large brown eyes, and the small smile curled further upwards as the large brown eyes sagged.

"I need to save Tama-kun. I don't…I can't promise to come back."

哥哥' had his head so down that if I-pin wasn't looking up at him, his eyes would have hidden behind his hair. But I-pin could see them. And they looked hurt.

"Then I-pin stop 哥哥'. Takeshi, Gokudera-san, Mama, Hana-san, and Mama help I-pin. Lambo too. And Uncle Kawahira and Lancia-san and Irie-kun and Fran-san and Byakuran-san and Reborn. No one want 哥哥' to not come back."

Tsuna blinked, and the brown eyes didn't look so hurt. I-pin let go of Tsuna's crumpled pajama shirt and lifted her hands to both sides of Tsuna's face.

"Tsuna must promise. Or Tsuna can't try to save Tama-kun."

Something wet landed on I-pin's forehead, and another dropped onto her cheek and slid down the already wet flesh. 哥哥' leaned forward and pressed his forehead lightly against hers and hands covered both of I-pin's own. And then a thick voice breathed two words onto her face.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>"Good to see you helping out your old man again, kid. He needs all the help he can get, and the sushi tastes better when you and your friend are helping him."<p>

Takeshi grinned as he counted out Shinoda's change and handed it to the older balding man. The man grinned and pressed it back into Takeshi's hand.

"Keep it," Shinoda said. "Consider it a bribe to keep helping your old man out. I don't know if it's the love he has for you or what, but the sushi definitely tastes different when you're here. And considering your old man's sushi's the best around as it is, the upgrade makes me want to come here for every meal. Just don't tell my wife. She thinks I spend too much time here as it is."

"Thanks, Shinoda-san. I'll be sure to tell Dad you like the sushi better than your wife's cooking," said Takeshi, making sure the grin didn't falter. Shinoda laughed.

"Just don't go spreading that around or I won't get any food back home. Hope to see you tomorrow, kid," said Shinoda.

"You too, Shinoda-san," said Takeshi continuing to grin and waving as the man left. The grin dropped as soon as Shinoda was out the door. After putting the money into the cash register with the rest, Takeshi dimmed the lights and walked over to the door to lock up for the night when it suddenly burst open.

"I've EXTREMELY found you!"

"Ah, sempai," said Takeshi, his grin quickly returning. "How can I help you?"

"I am EXTREMELY looking for someone," yelled the energetic boxer.

"Ah…I don't seem to know where anyone is right now," said Takeshi as he scratched the back of his head. "But maybe I can help you find them, if you like."

"I EXTREMELY want to find Sawada! He hasn't shown up for boxing practice for two weeks!"

"Sawada?" asked Takeshi, wondering why Ryohei would be looking for Tsuna. Tsuna didn't say anything about boxing. But then… "Oh, you mean Tsuna's brother. He's not here. He's kinda lost, but Tsuna's going to find him."

"I want to EXTREMELY find him."

"Sorry, sempai, but I don't think he's somewhere you can find. Even the kid doesn't know where he could be," said Takeshi. He went to the door held it open for the loud boxer. Ryohei was certainly energetic for this late at night. "But you don't need to worry. Tsuna'll find him."

"I EXTREMELY don't trust the other Sawada."

Takeshi stiffened, and the door handle felt hard against his hand as he squeezed. His grin strained but didn't drop.

"Oh? Why not?" asked Takeshi.

"Because the other Sawada is an EXTREMELY bad brother!" yelled the energetic boxer. The handle grew harder under Takeshi's hand.

"Why do you think that, sempai?" asked Takeshi as his grin thinned and sharpened. A hard glint had entered his eyes that Ryohei didn't seem to notice.

"The other Sawada has EXTREMELY forgotten how to be a big brother! He left Sawada all alone with those EXTREMELY bad people," continued Ryohei. "When I EXTREMELY find Sawada, I will challenge the other Sawada to a boxing match for the right to be Sawada's big brother."

Without warning, Takeshi started laughing. The laughs were hard and sharp. Takeshi tried to take breaths, but it was hard. The thought of Tsuna fighting their boxing sempai over being Tamaki's big brother was making Takeshi laugh, and the young swordsman didn't know why. Maybe because Tsuna…Tsuna always had to fight for Tamaki. Tsuna had to fight people way worse than the boxing sempai, and Tsuna would fight even more people for Tamaki. Because Tamaki was Tsuna's little brother, and Tsuna wanted to fight for Tamaki like a big brother was supposed. Like brothers were supposed to. Like Takeshi had failed to.

A hard slap to the back knocked Takeshi forward and almost onto the floor.

"Are you EXTREMELY all right?" asked Ryohei. "You EXTREMELY scared me."

"Sorry," said Takeshi, the grin back in place and the laughter gone. "I was thinking of something else."

"About how you would EXTREMELY like to be the other Sawada's big brother?"

The question hit Takeshi harder than the slap. He stared at the boxer, the grin replaced by a look of shock.

"I EXTREMELY get it," said Ryohei. "You and the other Sawada are EXTREMELY close, so you EXTREMELY want to protect him!"

Takeshi blinked, and the grin returned although it was wider and less sharp now.

"I guess I do," said Takeshi. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but it's true. Thanks sempai."

"You're EXTREMELY welcome!" shouted Ryohei. Takeshi didn't think that Ryohei had a lower volume, but then he never had a hard time understanding the boxer. "Now EXTREMELY tell me where Sawada went."

"Like I told you, sempai. I don't know—"

"Good evening," said another voice. Tsuna's _Shishō_ stood on the counter. "I was wondering if you had seen I-pin. I assumed she and Lambo had gone to the park, but I couldn't find them there. If they were playing hide and seek again, I assume one of them would be seeking, so they must have gone somewhere else."

"I think I-pin and Lambo went over to play at Fuuta's house," said Takeshi.

"So I-pin went ahead without me," said Fon. He took a deep breath and gave Takeshi a small bow. Returning the bow, Takeshi hoped Tsuna came back soon, because Fon was very worried. Why else would Fon bow so much? He never bowed this much with Tsuna around. "Thank you for your help, Takeshi-kun."

"You sure you don't want me to help you look for them?" asked Takeshi. "I'm pretty good at finding them when we're playing hide and seek."

"No, I don't think they are in a place where we can find them," said Fon.

"Wait an EXTREME minute!" yelled Ryohei. He had been so quiet that Takeshi had almost believed the boxing sempai had left. "Do you EXTREEMLY know where Sawada is?"

"If you are looking for Tsuna, I cannot tell you exactly where he is. You are a sempai of his, correct?" asked Fon.

"I am EXTREMELY Sasagawa Ryohei and the future world boxing champion," shouted Ryohei. Takeshi glanced over to the door in the kitchen. The old man would come down soon to see what all the commotion was in case a customer was giving Takeshi trouble. Takeshi hoped he wouldn't. Tsuna's mom had looked so much better after Takeshi's old man had talked to her earlier, and she wouldn't want to be alone right now.

"Sempai, please be quieter. People are sleeping upstairs," said Takeshi, hoping it was the truth. Tsuna's mom had still looked really tired.

"I will EXTREMELY try," said Ryohei in a slightly quieter tone.

"A little more quiet," said Takeshi. "I don't want my old man to come down here and kick you out of the restaurant."

"Oh, I extremely understand," said Ryohei, still loud but no longer at a volume that would carry up the stairs. "But I extremely need to find Sawada."

"As I have said, we don't know where Tsuna is exactly at the moment, except somewhere in Namimori. I was hoping to find my younger student, since she can ask one of the few people who knows where Tsuna might be," said Fon, standing straight and staring coolly at the boxer.

"I wasn't extremely talking about the other Sawada. I want to find my Sawada," said Ryohei almost reaching yelling volume again.

"I thought that might be who you meant," answered Fon. "Unfortunately, I have even less an idea as to where he might be. We are using all our resources to find him, but it will take time. We can tell you when we have found him."

"Is he playing an extreme game of hide and seek?" asked Ryohei.

"No. He was kidnapped, and Tsuna has asked us all to do our best to bring him back," said Fon. "And we will."

"Sounds like Tsuna's not that bad a big brother, eh, sempai," said Takeshi.

"He will be an extremely difficult opponent, but I promised Kyoko I would accept Sawada as my younger brother!"

"She asked you that?" asked Takeshi, a little surprised. After the roof, Kyoko seemed to like Tsuna more than Tamaki.

"She EXTREMELY did!" yelled Ryohei, his volume increasing again. "She said that she EXTREMELY wanted me to think of Sawada as my EXTREME little brother. She made me EXTREMELY pinkie swear."

"Interesting," said Fon. "Either way, you will have to wait until we can get him back. Which at this rate might take a while."

"I EXTREMELY want to help!"

"You want to help?" asked a female voice from the direction of the stairs. "Are you going to help Takeshi clean up? Tsuna usually does that, but he's not here at the moment."

The small, slightly sleepy smile on Tsuna's mom's face made the grin on Takeshi's face grow. Tsuna's mom looked much better, though Takeshi wondered why his old man hadn't come down with her. Either way, Tsuna would be happy to see his mom smiling for real again.

"I was EXTREMELY looking for Sawada, but I will EXTREMELY help clean if I can find him," said Ryohei.

"Oh, well, I'm sure that Takeshi would appreciate the help," said Tsuna's mom with that same smile. "Actually, Takeshi's helping his father, since Tsuyoshi is helping me, so I guess it wouldn't be wrong to say I would appreciate it."

"Then I will EXTREMELY help! Where is the EXTREME broom?"

"In the closet back here," she answered, opening the door behind her. Ryohei sprinted in through the door and then back out. He held up the broom like if it was the strongest samurai sword.

"Clean to the EXTREME," he yelled, and Takeshi's grin dropped. Takeshi's old man would come down now for sure. The boxer put the broom brush side down on the floor and pushed off with a yell as if he was going on the attack. Watching the boxer keep attacking/sweeping the floor made Takeshi want to join in, but Tsuna's mom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Before you start cleaning up, I have a question for you and Fon," said Tsuna's mom, pining Tsuna's _Shishō _with her gaze. "Do you know how to contact Hana-chan?"

"I believe Takeshi has the young woman's phone number," said Fon.

"Oh, good, because Tsuna left me in charge of something, and I might need some help figuring it out," said Tsuna's mom.

"And what was that?" asked Fon.

* * *

><p>The ringing would soon wake her parents, so Hana hurried to the hall to pick up the phone. If Hana's dad woke up and the phone was for her, she wouldn't hear the end of it. Her parents were already upset that she had been gone for two days and they couldn't reach her. The fact she had to attend "extra lessons" for school didn't make them happy either. But Hana had decided, and she wasn't going to leave Tsuna to fend for himself. She couldn't trust any of those other monkeys with him.<p>

"_Moshi, moshi_. Kurokawa residence," said Hana with a hard enough edge that the person on the other line would know she wasn't happy.

"Is this Hana-chan?" asked a familiar female voice.

"Yes, it is, Sawada-san. How can I help you?" she asked, keeping as much of her annoyance and surprise out of her voice as possible.

"Um…did Tsuna tell you about the email he asked me to watch?"

"No. He didn't mention anything about an email," Hana answered. Why the woman was calling and asking about an email at this time of night and after all that had occurred, Hana didn't even bother asking. If Sawada-san was calling, Hana had hoped it would be to tell her where Tsuna was, but then Hana had learned that none of the Sawada's followed conventional logic.

"Well, I was having trouble with it, and I was wondered if you would come over and help me."

"Right now?" asked Hana, unable to hold back her irritation. She understood the woman had just lost her husband, but it was the middle of the night. Hana bit the inside of her lip and reminded herself to be patient. The woman had just lost her husband, and one of her children was kidnapped while the other was hiding somewhere with his tail between his legs. When Hana saw Tsuna again, he would regret hiding from them. Again. At the moment, she needed to focus on what she could do. Hana quickly spoke before Sawada-san could take back her request. "Give me fifteen minutes. I need to get dressed and get over there."

"No, it's alright. I hadn't realized what time it is—"

"I already said I'm coming over, and so I'll be there in twenty minutes. I don't live that far from Takesushi," said Hana firmly. Tsuna was too much like his mother.

"But it's so late. I don't want you walking out by yourself, and I really hadn't noticed the time—"

"I believe you, but I doubt you would have called if this email problem wasn't really bothering you," said Hana, realizing that she was right. If something hadn't been really wrong with the email, Sawada-san wouldn't have called Hana. Not after all that had happened in the last two days. The Sawada sense for trouble was remarkably reliable if nothing else. "So if you're really worried about me walking around alone at night, send Takeshi over to make sure I don't disappear between here and the sushi shop. I think he's perfectly capable of that."

"You're right. I'll send Takeshi right over," said the woman, her voice brightening. "I'm so glad that Tsuna has friends like you."

The words fell like ice water over Hana, but she shook the effect off as quickly as she could. She shouldn't have reacted so harshly to those words. Sawada-san had spoken them many times before, and this time wasn't any different. Tsuna was the one who hid, who refused to let them help him. He pulled away instead of reaching for help or at least allowing them to help him. Tsuna who didn't see how worried she and the others were. The stupid boy didn't seem to want to realize how much he meant to them.

The dial tone squealed in her ear, and the phone squeezed in her hand. Slowly, Hana put the phone back on its cradle and let out a breath. She had to curb her temper before it unleashed itself on some innocent bystander, especially Tsuna's mother. The woman had gone through enough without Hana adding to the load.

Taking quick steps up the stairs and into her room, Hana changed back into her uniform that she had worn earlier today. One of them had to go and check where they were in certain subjects and make an alibi for why they would be missing school for the next week. Hana had no doubt that the Vongola Nono could have taken care of that detail, but the man's plan to start their "lessons" today had already been derailed by Tsuna's disappearance so it made sense for Hana to deal with their cover story.

She had barely finished fixing her hair when a knock sounded on the outside the door. Hana descended the stairs as the knocks got louder. She opened the door with a scowl , but it quickly dropped as a tall, silver-haired stranger stood on the other side of the door. Her hand tensed on the door's handle as she noticed that the man only had one hand since the other was a long sword.

"Who are you?" she asked in a hard tone.

"Where is the Vongola?!" screeched the man.

"Vongola? What are you screeching about Italian clams in the middle of the night?" demanded Hana. She wasn't about to give this weirdo any information.

"Why'd you make me stop here?! This girl doesn't know anything!" yelled the man loudly to something or someone behind him.

"She does," said a new voice. "According to my information, he should be around here somewhere, and this girl knows where."

"Ushishishi, I think our stupid captain has a point," said a third voice. "Besides, the prince doesn't talk to peasants unless he gets to kill them."

"If we start a killing spree, the boss would get piled with paperwork and then would test his experiments on us. Or cut our salaries, and then you'll have to pay me the difference in salary," said the second voice.

"Voi! Keep your mouth shut both of you and find out where the Nono is," yelled the silver-haired man, prompting Hana to step back to keep her eardrums from exploding at the volume. Apparently both of her parents had decided to take sleeping pills tonight because no footsteps sounded from upstairs.

"I don't know who you are, but if you don't leave soon, I'll call the police for noise pollution. Some people are trying to sleep," Hana said, moving to close the door.

"Before you head towards the phone, it would be in your neighborhood police's best interest if you answer our questions as honestly as possible," said the second voice levelly. A baby literally floated into view. Hana didn't even blink, though inwardly she sighed and wondered when the world became strange enough that a floating baby didn't make her question her sanity. Probably around the same time she became friends with Tsuna.

"And how would that be in the police's best interest? You don't look like you are part of law enforcement," Hana said, giving the floating baby an evaluating stare.

"We're not. But I doubt I can keep my colleagues from killing the police if they find it necessary to come anywhere near them," said the floating baby.

"Ushishishi, the prince hates police more than he hates ordinary peasants," said the third voice, and an older-looking teen with blonde hair and a ridiculous tiara appeared behind the tall silver-haired man. The blond teen twirled a knife between his fingers. "However the prince does love watching them bleed."

Hana peered past the trio of weirdoes as discretely as possible, hoping that her reinforcements would arrive soon. If Takeshi didn't appear in the next minute or so, Hana would have to take her chances and slam the door in the three wierdoes' faces. She doubted these monkeys would take the hint and get lost otherwise.

"Perhaps if I knew what questions your 'colleagues' wanted answered, I could answer them and then you could be on your way without me having to call the police. Wouldn't want your boss to have to fill out more paperwork."

"Ooh, interesting. This one intrigues the prince," said the blond knife-twirling monkey. The knife stopped twirling as the blond leaned forward and pointed it at Hana. "The prince would like to see her blood run."

"No," Hana snapped refusing to lean backwards. This knife-wielding monkey wasn't going to have the satisfaction of intimidating her. "Either you weirdoes tell me what this is about, or I'll close the door and call the police and leave you to deal with your boss's extra paperwork."

The floating baby smacked the knife-wielding monkey's hand back. A flash of knives flew in the baby's direction soon afterwards, but they passed through the bloating baby's body. Hana held firm to the door's handle as her legs shook under her. She wouldn't show any weakness to these weirdoes. Tsuna had dealt with much worse, and if she was to stay close enough to make sure that he didn't get himself killed, she would have to deal with worse as well.

"That's an extra 1,000 euros," said the floating baby nonchalantly.

"Ushishishi, the prince was only retaliating," said the knife-wielding monkey. "Retaliation doesn't count."

"You forced me to use an illusion to avoid your knives and are wasting my time by halting the investigation," said the floating baby. A calculator suddenly appeared in his hands. "My time isn't cheap, so I'd say you owe 4,000 euros."

"As if the prince is going to pay for you ruining the prince's fun."

"You'll pay or the interest will only increase your debt."

"You can't charge interest on a debt that doesn't exist," said the knife-wielding monkey, and Hana decided that this conversation was going the route of one of the idiot monkey and Yamamoto's arguments. She shut the door loudly.

Hana started back to her room when the door proceeded to burst open in a shower of splinters. She found herself face down on the floor and numb. Forcing air back into her lungs, she barely heard as one of the weirdoes let out another ear-splitting shout.

"VOI! Stop fighting and find out where the Nono is!"

"And how are we supposed to do that, idiot captain? The witness is probably unconscious," said the floating baby.

"She's not," said Hana, pushing herself off the floor and ignoring the heating stings erupting along various parts of her body. The world swirled behind her eyes, but she quickly forced it back into focus. "And if you think that you are…" The words faded as her lungs caused her to inhale sharply. They didn't hurt though, so she continued to speak in between sharp inhales. She refused to black out. "Going to get…information from me…"

"Looks like the captain broke her," sing-songed the knife-wielding monkey. "The prince thinks he should kill the peasant and put her out of her misery."

"Might as well, since she obviously doesn't know anything anyway," said the floating baby. "I don't think the boss would dock our pay for one unnecessary death form, and if we take any longer, I am sure Lussuria and Leviathan will cause enough damage to make the boss angry. I'm not paying for your recovery after he uses you as a test subject."

"Shut up!" yelled the silver-haired man at the other two before taking two long steps forward and grabbing Hana's shirt. "Tell us where the Nono is now or die!"

The sudden jerk had aggravated all of Hana's injuries, and the world was swirling again. The air had ceased to reach to her lungs, and black dots pushed at the edges of her swirling vision. A flash of silver and a whoosh of air had her falling to the floor. Sturdy and steady arms caught her, and she caught sight of blurring but sharp hazel eyes before her world became pitch black.


	52. Ready or Not

Chapter 52: _Ready or Not_

Squalo's sword had immediately flashed into the spot where the other sword had threatened to cut off Squalo's remaining hand, but Squalo's sword sliced through empty air. Silver eyes locked on the offending sword, but only a classic Japanese shinai lay uselessly on the floor.

"Who are you?" asked a brunette teenager with an idiotic grin on his face, but what caught Squalo's eyes was the unconscious girl in his arms. "Are you visiting Hana? If you are, you should know that Hana can't play those kind of games."

"VOI! Who do you think you are?" shouted Squalo, pointing his sword at the grinning idiot. "I'll kill you!"

"Looks like the boss is going to have two unnecessary death forms," said Mammon with a sigh. "How troublesome. Please make it quick or I'm going to have to start charging you per minute."

"Stay out of this!" screeched Squalo, swinging his sword in the illusionist's general direction.

"I think that Mr. Sword Emperor is touchy because he was bested with a wooden sword," said the idiot prince, earning himself a slice very close to his head.

"I said shut up!" yelled Squalo.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take Hana to my house. Someone's waiting for her there," said the grinning idiot as he stepped on his sword and flipped into the hand under the girl's knees. "So if you could move out of the way."

"Who's going to move?!" shouted Squalo as he lunged his sword at the teen. The grinning idiot managed to block it clumsily, and Squalo's eyes widened at the speed of the movement. Stepping smoothly backwards, the grinning idiot angled his sword to push Squalo's to the side so that he could move around the long-haired swordsman. Without wasting another instant, Squalo sliced at the teen's back, but the teen spun in time to block Squalo's sword again.

"You're really good," said the teen with that same idiotic grin. "We should have a match someday. I'd like to fight you."

"Die!" yelled Squalo as he rained down blows on the teen, which he blocked clumsily and quickly. A heavy side-slice caused the teen to stumble backwards, and Squalo gave another "VOI" cry as he sliced a killing blow downwards onto the teen's head. The blow again sliced through thin air, and Squalo glanced up to see the teen running down the road. "Get back here, brat!"

"Sorry, but we'll have to have our match later," yelled the teen over his shoulder, still grinning. "I have to get back soon or Tsuna's mom's going to worry."

Squalo's blood rushed through his ears and another cry screeched past his lips as he chased after his prey. Squalo was not going to let some idiotic brat get away from him. If Xanxus…no, it was when now, _when_ that idiot Xanxus woke up, he wouldn't let Squalo live down letting an idiotic brat escape after said brat swung a sword at Squalo. A match started the instant a sword is drawn, and Squalo could care less if the sword was wood. The brat had attacked him with a sword, and Squalo was going to drive his sword through the brat's head.

"VOI! Stop running, brat!" screamed Squalo.

"Sorry, but I can't do that," the grinning brat yelled back. "You'd slash at us with your sword and someone might get hurt!"

Someone might get…forget impaling this brat. Squalo was going to slice off the brat's limbs and then use the brat's torso as a pin cushion. He let out another loud yell and lunged at the brat's back again. The brat ducked under the sword's slash but fell onto his back with the unconscious girl on top of him.

"Voi, this time die!" screamed Squalo as he swung the sword to slice the two teens in half. A small hand caught the sword before it could graze the grinning brat's head. Also, Squalo found himself two feet back from where he originally took the swing. "What?! Let go and let me kill him already!"

"Sorry, but I can't grant that request," said the calm voice of the storm arcobaleno. His tiny fingers held the tip of Squalo's sword in place.

"This isn't your business, arcobaleno!" yelled Squalo, trying to tug his sword out of the storm arcobaleno's grip, but although this was the storm arcobaleno and not the famous sun arcobaleno Reborn, the sword didn't budge.

"It is. Both of these children are under my protection," said the storm arcobaleno. "So it would be better for everyone if you would simply tell me what you need. Otherwise, I might have to do more than stop you from killing them."

As he rarely wandered out of Europe, Squalo had had hardly any contact with the storm arcobaleno, but what the freaky baby Mammon had let drop had made Squalo suspect that the storm arcobaleno was a calm pacifist (which meant he was an unfair coward who fought only who and when he wanted to). That idea didn't match the person holding Squalo's sword in place. The eyes glaring at the sword emperor had enough fury to cause Squalo to step back even as the fingers pressed the sword hard enough to warp the metal.

"I apologize," said the storm arcobaleno, loosening his grip a fraction. The sword didn't wrinkle further. His eyes stayed focused on Squalo, and the sword emperor still couldn't move his sword. "I have had a couple of bad days, and I can't seem to control my temper the way I normally do. Hopefully, I will not end up taking out my last few days of stress on you. Are you here to kill one of these children?"

"I wasn't sent here to kill some stupid brat!" shouted Squalo. If the storm arcobaleno was going to kill him, then Squalo would do whatever he could to kill the storm arcobaleno first. But first he needed to make the storm arcobaleno release his sword. "I came to deliver a message to the Nono from the old fart of a boss!"

"I see," said the storm arcobaleno, slowly removing his grip on the sword. However, the arcobaleno's black eyes held Squalo's grey, and the sword emperor's sword continued to hang in midair. "The Vongola Nono is currently in the hotel two streets from here. I suggest you get there before he turns in for the night."

"Che. Like I won't wake up the old man if I have to," said Squalo. He turned to break the paralyzing gaze of the arcobaleno and caught sight of Mammon and the immature prince. "Voi! Stop standing there, we have a hotel to get to!"

"The prince didn't want to interrupt your fight," said Belphegor. "You looked like you were having fun."

Squalo huffed and ignored the prince's babble. He walked towards them and noticed that Mammon was still staring at the storm arcobaleno.

"Stop staring. We need to get to the freaking hotel!"

"Viper. It has been a long time," said the storm arcobaleno. The tone almost sounded pleasant.

"Don't call me that!" cried Mammon. "I go by Mammon now."

"That's unfortunate. Viper suited you," said the storm arcobaleno. Mammon made a sound that might have been a snort, but Squalo didn't care.

"Hotel NOW!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

"So loud," muttered Belphegor, putting a finger in his ear and rubbing it. "The prince doesn't like getting yelled at."

"He's staying at room 321. That information comes at the regular fee," said Mammon. He turned and didn't look back. "He should still be awake."

Squalo shot the prince and Mammon a glare and strode in the direction of the hotel. He most definitely would come back to deal with that grinning brat later. That brat was lucky that Squalo had a mission that could not fail. The storm arcobaleno's anger couldn't hold a candle to the fury that Squalo's true boss would unleash on the sword emperor if he ever found out that Squalo allowed a mere brat to get the better of him. No, that brat would be dead within the week if not less. No one shamed the Varia.

* * *

><p>Tsuyoshi had no idea how he had fallen asleep. One minute, he had been watching over Nana as she slept off her worries, and the next he found himself head in hands on the edge of an empty bed. He scratched the back of his neck once before stretching and standing up from the less than comfortable chair. His muscles suddenly tensed as he heard a faint cry coming from the kitchen.<p>

Without hesitation, he headed out the door to the room and down the stairs. In the middle of the kitchen, Takeshi stood holding a limp Kurokawa. Nana had a hand to the girl's forehead, and Fon stood watching the three from a counter top.

"Are you sure we don't need to take her the hospital?" asked Nana, shifting her gaze off limp girl and over to Fon.

"Hana-chan has mentioned she has a condition that causes her to have a lower threshold of pain. She has only cuts and bruises, but the combined pain of those apparently caused her to fall unconscious," said Fon. "She should be fine with a little rest."

"Hana-chan is an EXTREMELY strong person!" yelled a boy from the other side of the restaurant. He held a mop in his hand and had thrust it up in the air. "She EXTREMELY wouldn't need the hospital!"

"So you know her too, Ryohei-kun?" said Nana.

"She's my sister's EXTREME best friend," yelled the loud boy.

"Well, I'd still rather be sure. Takeshi, take her up to my bed. I would like to see for myself that she's not too injured," said Nana. She turned, and her face lightened as her eyes fell on Tsuyoshi. "Oh, Tsuyoshi, you're up. Do you think you are awake enough to help Takeshi take Hana-chan upstairs? Ryohei-kun, please finish cleaning and go home. Your sister and mother will worry if you are not home soon."

"I EXTREMELY will!" yelled the boy before thrusting the mop onto the floor and pushing it forward so hard that he almost knocked over some tables. Tsuyoshi glanced over at Nana, and she smiled at him and shook her head slightly before sending a quick look at Takeshi.

Following her gaze, Tsuyoshi nodded. Takeshi's muscles were trembling under the strain of carrying the girl even though the boy's face didn't show signs of any strain. Taking a couple of large steps forward, Tsuyoshi moved over and took the girl out of Takeshi's arms.

"Go on ahead. I'll need some help pulling back the covers and getting her comfortable," said Tsuyoshi.

"Right," said Takeshi overly brightly as he hurried up the stairs. Tsuyoshi followed his son carefully, the weight in his arms reminding him of his age despite the vigorous training that he and Takeshi had been going through the last few weeks. Perhaps it was time that Tsuyoshi put some more serious effort into training his own body instead of just Takeshi's.

His arm muscles held until he placed the Kurokawa girl on the bed after which Tsuyoshi could not control the small, thankfully brief tremor that ran through them. Takeshi had done his job of pulling back the covers, and soon enough Nana had a bowl of water next to the bed and a wet rag in her hand.

"I'm going to need you two to leave," said Nana with a sweet smile that Tsuyoshi was learning to associate with unspoken command. "I want to make sure that Hana's completely all right, so it would be better if you were both outside the room."

"Of course," said Tsuyoshi. "If you need anything, just call."

"I will," she said, the curve of her smile gentling as her eyes glittered. "Thank you."

The two words spread warmth through Tsuyoshi's chest as they communicated more than they said. Tsuyoshi grinned widely at her, knowing that anything he could say wouldn't match the emotions of those two words, and he ushered Takeshi out of the room. For a second, he stared at the door, marveling at the woman on the other side of it. She and Mako would have been the best of friends, and somehow Tsuyoshi could imagine the combination of both women managing the restaurant and the children and him without a problem. Both his Mako and Nana had spines of steel and kind hearts, though they both showed them in different ways.

"So what happened," said Tsuyoshi, turning back to his son. Tsuyoshi's eyes sharpened, but the grin on the man's face faded instead of disappeared. "Did the Vindice return or was it another _famiglia_?"

"I think they were part of the old boss's _famiglia_," said Takeshi, his hazel eyes still focused on the door. "Fon knew them."

"They were the Varia," said Fon, appearing next to them. Tsuyoshi's friend had never lost his touch, but lately he seemed more sharp…more focused. But then, they had nearly lost Tsuna. And if Tsuna didn't come out of hiding soon, the people waiting for Tsuna would only get more sharp and worried.

"Varia? What's that?" asked Takeshi. "Something to do with the old boss's _famiglia_?"

"Yes," answered Fon. "They are part of the Vongola. Specifically, they are a group that deals specifically with assassinations. Or so people say the purpose was when it first started. Since the Cradle Incident, the Varia has gone under new management, and there have been rumors of a slight change in the way they operate. They are still undoubtedly an assassination squad, but some say they have started taking high profile, delicate missions for the Nono's eyes only. Those who say such things imply that the first few of these new missions didn't end well."

"They didn't." The new voice caused Tsuyoshi's fingers to inch towards the knives he had taken to hiding in his sleeves. The sun arcobaleno stepped out from a shadow and into a dim patch of light. "Did you find out why they are here?"

"They mentioned getting a message from their boss to the Nono. I directed them to his hotel, and apparently Viper already had the key."

"Viper is with the Varia," said Reborn flatly, but the sun arcobaleno obviously meant it as a question.

"I was not entirely certain it was him, but his reactions to me gave him away. He must have some new device that keeps our pacifiers from reacting," replied Fon. Tsuyoshi put on a wide grin as he prepared to jump into the conversation. His son beat him to it.

"Are these guys going to try to go after Tsuna too?" asked Takeshi, putting his arms behind his neck.

"I don't know," said Fon. "They didn't appear to have any interest beyond finding the Nono, but then they wouldn't have let us know if they were after Tsuna."

"Dame-Tsuna is still hiding with that man. Even with Viper, they would have a hard time finding him," said Reborn.

"Still, the situation would be better if we found him first," said Fon turning his full attention on Tsuyoshi. "Did you happen to know where I-pin has gone?"

"No, I'm afraid not," said Tsuyoshi with a bashful grin. "I'm apparently so old that I fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon. I believe Takeshi was watching the kids."

The full strength of the two arcobaleno's gazes fell on Takeshi who flinched slightly under the pressure.

"Actually, Fuuta came to visit a couple of hours ago, and I-pin and Lambo went over to play at his house," said Takeshi with an attempt at a grin. A displeased grunt came from the sun arcobaleno. "I guess I should have asked where Fuuta lives."

"He's staying with Lancia," said Reborn. "Who is staying at Kawahira's place."

"So I guess we're back where we started," said Tsuyoshi with his own wide grin. "I suppose we'll simply have to wait until Tsuna comes back."

"When he does," growled Reborn. "He will find himself in the worst version of hell."

"Don't you mean training, kid?" asked Takeshi.

"No," said Fon, and the casual tone caused Tsuyoshi's tight grin to slip briefly. "He means hell."

* * *

><p>A shiver ran up Tsuna's back, and Tsuna had an unexplainable urge to hide under his covers and never come out. Unfortunately, I-pin had made him promise to come back with Takesushi with her.<p>

"_Mamma_ and Master are worried," she had said in a tone Tsuna was certain sounded a little too much like _Shishō_. "哥哥' come back now."

Taking a deep breath and reminding himself that he couldn't avoid facing his mother and _Shishō _and Reborn forever (though he might want to in the case of the last), Tsuna got up from the bed and moved to change out of the pajamas Kawahira had lent him.

"So you're finally ready to go. Or at least you think you are. I am not so sure," said Kawahira, appearing in a corner of the room. "Here. I washed these for you."

Carefully, Tsuna took the Northern Kung Fu uniform out of the man's hands.

"Thank you for your help, Kawahira-san," said Tsuna with a polite bow.

"I thought we were past things like this," said the smiling man. "What happened to Uncle Kawahira?"

Tsuna stiffened and avoided the man's sharp brown eyes. His cheeks warmed as discomfort and shame fought for dominance over his emotions.

"I'm sorry," said Tsuna softly, hoping the man understood what he didn't say. "Thank you for all your help, Uncle Kawahira."

"It's alright," said Kawahira with a soft grin. "I wanted to show you something."

Wordlessly, Tsuna followed the older man down the hall and into one of the other rooms in the shop. Tsuna recognized it as one of the first rooms he had entered in a time that felt so long ago. Back when Tamaki wasn't missing and Iemitsu…

A strange, fuzzy touch caused Tsuna to squeal and jump up in the air.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up again, Mugetsu," said Kawahira. "You've been away too long. Dream guarding shouldn't tire you out so much."

The long fox-like snake made a soft sound and then rubbed Tsuna's cheek once more. With an expression that might have been a smile on his face, Mugetsu slithered into the air and coiled around Kawahira's neck. Kawahira's long fingers stroked Mugetsu, and the little strange animal leaned into the touch.

"Do you remember this?" asked Kawahira. His hand rested on a glass case next to a familiar orange statue. Tsuna stared at it for an instant. He did remember it. He hadn't forgotten it. For some reason, Tsuna couldn't forget it. Now that he saw it again (it had mysteriously disappeared after the first time he had seen it), he realized the memory of it had been stored carefully in the back of his mind, as if waiting for him to encounter it again.

Like the last time, Tsuna moved close, barely keeping his hands at his sides. He couldn't, no shouldn't, reach out to the coiling dragon. If he did then…then…something would happen.

"I didn't think it wise to properly introduce you last time," said Kawahira. "He has been upset and angry for a long time, and I wasn't sure how he would react to you. He has quite a strong pull. He was already pulling himself into your heart, and I wasn't certain he wouldn't destroy it. After all, he has very good reason to be angry with people like you."

"People like me?" whispered Tsuna, refusing to get any closer to the coiling dragon. Its fangs stood out sharper this time, as if ready to tear into the flesh of Tsuna's face. With quivering legs, Tsuna took a step back and nearly tripped. Vaguely recalling all of _Shishō_'s lessons on balance, Tsuna managed to stay on his feet.

"Don't worry," said Kawahira, and Tsuna thought he heard a hint of amusement in the older man's tone that hadn't been there before. "He's been watching you."

Somehow, those words didn't make Tsuna feel better. Instead they made Tsuna want to turn around and run out the door. As strange as Kawahira was, he had never creeped Tsuna out, but now Tsuna realized why Gokudera had described him as the creepy albino. Or perhaps Tsuna wanted to run because part of him still wanted to reach out and touch the dangerous statue who according to Kawahira was also a stalker. Or perhaps Tsuna had been spending too much time with Gokudera and Gokudera's paranoia was rubbing off on Tsuna.

"Don't worry. He was only looking for a way to ensnare your heart," said Kawahira, and Tsuna took another step back. "He would have succeeded if I hadn't kept him out of your sight. However, I think it's come time for you to meet. Mostly because Mugetsu is worried about you."

"W-what does that mean?" asked Tsuna as he fought back every urge to run. The heat wasn't flaring, but honestly Tsuna didn't care. He'd rather run just in case.

"It means what it means. So ready to meet your new friend?" asked Kawahira. Tsuna had no idea how the man could call a strange statue that wanted to ensnare Tsuna's soul a "new friend," but Tsuna decided that he should go straight to Takesushi and take his chances with whatever _Shishō _and Reborn had planned. "You needn't worry. He'll agree to be yours if you convince him. Consider it a test."

"A-a test?" asked Tsuna, taking another step back.

"Yes. Except luckily for you, not the paper kind. All you have to do is touch his jaws," said Kawahira, and as if to demonstrate the point the jaws gleamed. The sharp teeth curved into a snarl, ready to take a chunk out of the next hand to come near them. Or the whole hand. Tsuna bit back a frightened squeal as he backed away further. Part of him tried to struggle through the sudden terror that coursed through him, remind him that a statue was nothing to fear.

And then the orange crusted eyes glowed. No, they appeared to glow under the light, his sanity insisted (Tsuna was surprised he had any left). Still, whatever the phenomenon was, it grew brighter, and Tsuna's whole form shook. Those unreasonably bright eyes stared straight at Tsuna (had the thing moved?) and made the jaws look like they would swallow Tsuna whole with their smirk (it hadn't been smirking before!). Later Tsuna would feel shame for what happened next, but at the moment he barely registered the feeling of his knees buckling under him.

"Maybe I was wrong," came Kawahira's voice from some place far in the distance. "Perhaps it was too soon. I had thought that he could aid you in rescuing your brother, but if this continues, he will end up consuming your heart."

_Aid in rescuing your brother_…An image of darkness and memory of faint whispering voices, of Tama-kun's voice, bounced around Tsuna's mind. Taking a shaky but deep breath, Tsuna pushed himself upright.

The glowing eyes dimmed slightly, and Tsuna took a step forward. A faint, soundless roar sounded from the gaping jaws and made Tsuna's whole body vibrate with a sickening dizziness. Tsuna took another step, and the eyes glowed with a brighter intensity. Tsuna reached out his hand, and an almost audible snarl sent a shiver of fear up Tsuna's outstretched arm. Tsuna's fingers brushed one of the vicious teeth, and suddenly Tsuna cried out in pain.

"…stupid primarian."

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, that is the end of the chapter. I know what you are thinking. Two author's notes! Something must be wrong. Actually, in this case, it is something right. You guys have elevated this fic to 3K+ reviews (that I wish I could respond to), and I am so grateful. Honestly, back when I first posted this fic, I thought I would be lucky to get over a hundred. That it had so many...I can only work hard to try to keep the story at a level high enough to deserve the honor you have bestowed upon it. As a small token of my amazing gratitude, I offer this extra fanon-compliant (at least _More Than No Good_ fanon compliant) oneshot. May God bless you all.

**Bonus Oneshot:**

_The Nail that was Wanted__  
><em>

Giotto placed the paper on the proper stack automatically and proceeded to scan the next one. The image of silky brown strands stuck together with red globs over imposed the words, and Giotto closed his eyes and rubbed them. Five days had passed since then, but these scenarios kept cropping up and would not allow Giotto to finish his work with his usual efficiency. If this continued, G would force Giotto to go to Japan with Asari in an attempt to clear Giotto's head. And Giotto wouldn't be allowed back until he could go a week without "phasing out" as Lampo called it. Vongola couldn't be without her leader, not now. After what had happened, what they had attempted and succeeded, they needed to give the appearance of being as strong as ever. Any signs of weakness and they might be attacked for their presumption. The Vongola was too new a family to go around eliminating entire _famiglie_.

Giotto wished she was here. If she was nearby, where he could see her, perhaps the images of what could have happened, of what did happen, would cease to torment him. But the deal with that man was too important to risk. If the deal fell apart, the entire Vongola _famiglia_ could be put in danger.

"Sir?" said the quiet voice of Giotto's secretary Leopold. "There is someone who claims he has an appointment and wishes to speak to you."

Putting the paper down, Giotto focused on Leopold. The balding man was Giotto's secretary for many reasons. Leopold could hold his own against almost any visiting Mafiosos, could make sense of the most chaotic filing system, and wouldn't let Giotto out of the office until all the paperwork was finished. The last thing was done per G's orders, and Giotto often wondered how the redhead man could call himself Giotto's best friend. But the point remained that Leopold was near unshakeable, and Giotto had certainly tested the man's unnatural steadiness. The snake in the older man's desk had merely resulted in a larger pile of paperwork, most of it redundant forms that Leopold usually removed. And yet Leopold's hand seemed unsteady as it detached itself from the door. Only one person could have had that full an effect on the normally stoic secretary.

"Let him in," said Giotto. Better to let him in now then try to refuse. That man never could take no for an answer.

"Told you I had an appointment," said a cackling voice. A figure wrapped in a long cloak made of animal skins entered Giotto's office. The large bone necklace made clicking noises as the cloaked figure threw back his head, laughing loudly in the middle of the doorway. Leopold inched away from the figure and disappeared into the other room. The figure bent forward still letting out his cackling laugh, and Giotto could feel his dying will fighting to surface. Giotto had no doubt at whom the figure was laughing, and deal or no deal, Giotto was fighting not to put a flame-engulfed fist in the man's faced. After all Giotto had done, all he had had to give up—"Now, now. No need to put on that face, Vongola Primo."

"There is no reason to have a fit of laughter in the middle of my office," replied Giotto. "And it is _Vongola_ or _Vongola don_. As things are, there is no guarantee that Vongola will survive past this generation."

"Worried about your mist guardian or the other _famiglie_?" asked the figure, sinking into the chair on the opposite side of the desk from Giotto.

"What do you want?" asked Giotto, moving the paper he had been trying to work on aside.

"You shouldn't worry so much. For all his stupidity and faults, your mist won't let anything happen to this _famiglia_. At least nothing that will threaten the Vongola's existence," said the figure, completely ignoring Giotto's question.

"Either tell me why you are here or leave, Talbot," snapped Giotto, his palms pounding down hard on the desk and causing some of the papers on the top of the piles to float to the ground.

"No need to lose your temper, my dear Vongola Primo," replied the figure. He let the hood fall back from the cloak, revealing a face with several wrinkled folds forming over the cheeks, on the forehead, and under the chin. A scrap of cloth hid the man's eyes, and what little hair the man had stuck up in ridiculous black spikes. "Cianna would certainly not be impressed."

"She's not here," said Giotto, the words coming out less harsh and more petulant.

"I wonder how several of Vongola's various allies and enemies would react if they saw the great and powerful Giotto sulking," said Talbot. "I am sure I would make a pretty lira if I sculpted several pendants with your current expression. A reminder that the Vongola boss is also human would make quite a few lire, especially from your enemies."

"I am not sulking," said Giotto. He flinched at the whininess of his tone.

"Sure you are not," said Talbot in an obvious patronizing tone. "Just like Cianna is not."

"If she is, then it's all your fault," said Giotto, wishing he didn't act so childish around this man. But then, not even Cianna knew how old Talbot was, and the man often felt like the grandfather Giotto had never known.

"I brought you a present," said Talbot, before rubbing his chin. "Or rather, I brought you eight."

Giotto crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, unwilling to play along and ask what the presents were. Though a present from the world's best metal-worker would probably be nothing short of amazing, and Giotto always enjoyed seeing Talbot's inventions. But everyone came with a price. The very ring he wore, along with each of his guardian's, were a "present" from Talbot, and for small things, they were a heavy burden.

"Come here," said Talbot. "Speaking to you across the desk is too hard."

Sinking deeper into the chair, Giotto made his intent to stay right where he was clear. Suddenly, Giotto stood from the chair. He couldn't stay in the chair. It felt wrong, and then he took several steps away from the chair and towards the blind man. Giotto tried to take a step back, but he felt a shock propel him forward. His mind insisted that the best, safest place would be right beside Talbot. Giotto's legs moved faster, gaining an itch and then a blessed blankness in sensations as Giotto sat at Talbot's feet.

"Pretty clever, eh? And it's just one part of your gift," said Talbot.

"What did you do?" asked Giotto, horror underlining his voice.

"Made you do as I asked with this," said Talbot, a glittering object dangling from his hand. "But of course, that's not the only thing that this can do. Mostly, it can be used as an amplifier if the one holding it is a sky flame user like you."

"I see little use for such an object," said Giotto, his voice and expression flat. As the boss of a Vongola, he couldn't let his horror show. A chuckle told him that he hadn't fooled the craftsman. The chuckling old man tossed the glittering object to Giotto, who caught it reflexively.

"Do not worry. I give this to you knowing that you would never use it carelessly," said the old man with his annoyingly amused grin. He tossed six more items onto the blonde man's desk. "Mind you, it has other uses as well. It's the only one of the objects that can't be used by other flame users. Of course, it has its set-backs, like the fact it can drain a person's flames, specifically the user, and give it to another. But then the user's heart has to be mostly willing. Mostly isn't entirely, but a moment of weakness would do, and then the user's flame's entirely sucked away unless the recipient chooses. The whole situation's unlikely, but I should warn you. In case you would like to use it on your heir or something of that sort."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Giotto tonelessly. He tightened his grip on the object in an effort to keep from shoving it and the rest into a drawer where no one would ever see much less use them.

"Now, now. There is no reason for that sort of look. They are a gift," said Talbot with a smile full of teeth and gaps.

"A gift that could cause the whole underworld to descend into chaos." Giotto could feel his eyes burn and glow orange.

"Only if you carelessly use them. But if you were truly careless, then I would not be able to have entrusted you with those rings. Or with the eighth part of my gift."

"Feel free to keep it," said Giotto in as even a close to even tone. If the object had had sharp edges, they would have torn into his palms.

"I would. But she doesn't want to be kept. Wouldn't stop moping and let me do my work," said Talbot.

"_Amore mio_." The word lighted through Giotto's whole body. His eyes burned with a new warmth, and he found himself across the room inches from the word's originator.

"Cianna," whispered Giotto. His hands hung midair, and a duo of small, slender hands caught one of Giotto's.

"_Io sono tuo_," she whispered.

"Like I said," said Talbot. "She didn't want to be kept. Not even by her own father."

"Every daughter must leave her father at some point," said the lovely woman standing in front of the frozen Giotto. He took in her unruly brown hair and all-too pale skin. The dark bags did little to highlight her full, large brown eyes, and her small nose squeezed in between her long narrow cheeks. The full brown eyes lurched away from Giotto's sky blue and landed on the ancient-looking man. "And I could leave you for a much worse man."

"No one's leaving anyone yet. He hasn't accepted my entire gift," said the old man with his crackly smile. "After all, you're only half of the eighth gift. The other half isn't so savory, so he might—"

"_Sposami_," said Giotto in an intense but quiet voice, staring straight into his Cianna's eyes. Those full brown eyes jerked back.

"It is very rude to interrupt your elder when their talking," said Talbot. His crackly smile sparked. "I am trying to warn you."

"Giotto—" Cianna started to whisper, but a cough cut her off. "I can't—"

"I don't care if I ever have an heir. I plan to make Vongola strong enough to survive with or without my lineage. My legacy will be more than blood," aid Giotto. He could see his orange glowing eyes reflected in hers, and then the orange mixed with the slight addition of red. He smiled. "_Sposami_?"

"_Io sono tuo_," she repeated as she pressed her head against his chest, sandwiching his hand between them. He wrapped his free arm around her.

"_E senza di te non sono niente_," he replied.

"So sweet I feel my last few teeth rotting out," said Talbot. Giotto sent a glare at the old man over Cianna's shoulder, but the glare fell short of its target as a grin molded near Giotto's heart. "I hope you don't regret your decision. As it is, I will go make the preparations."

The worst case scenario had Giotto tensing despite his _fidanzata_. "G will not allow the wedding to occur if he does not plan security, Knuckle will knock me out if he isn't given charge of the ceremony, and Elena would do worse than kill me if I did not allow her to do everything else."

The old man's smile cracked completely open into a loud barking laugh.

"Primo, if you think I will do anything to aid this wedding, you are a worse fool than your enemies assume," said Talbot. "No, I am going to prepare for our move to your mansion."

"Our?" squeaked Giotto.

"I did try to warn you, Primo. The other half of the eighth gift was me. I plan to keep a close eye on my daughter's happiness," said Talbot, his laugh condensing back to a toothy toothless smile. "She is leaving me. I am not leaving her."

Blood and warmth melted out of Primo's face. Only the release of his hand and then encirclement of his waist distracted him from his stomach's trip to the floor.

"It's really a good thing, _amore mio_," said Cianna. "He and his work would be exclusive to Vongola. And since I am to be your wife, no other _familigia_ could start a fuss over it. And—"

A cough jerked her body away from him, and Giotto ignored his stomach in favor of his heart. He took hold of the hand she had finished coughing into and brought to his lips.

"The only advantage I gain from his close alliance," said Giotto sincerely, "is here in front of me."

Red spotted and splotched Cianna's cheeks. Giotto wrapped her in his arms and tightened his grip. Her bones stuck his skin and reminded him that her father had every right to distrust Giotto with the old man's treasure. Giotto had failed her once already.


	53. Drowning Out Hurt

Chapter 53: _Drowning out Hurt_

Tsuna found himself staring at empty space, the voice still echoing through his marginally less aching head.

"Does the primarian know what such a bond will do to you?"

Blinking, Tsuna looked around, but he still only saw a blank, empty…room?

"For the record, I wasn't interested in your heart. The primarian was being dramatic. I would have settled for a portion of your flame. Enough so I could move and leave this ridiculous shop."

"Um…who are you?" asked Tsuna, shrinking into his kung fu uniform's large sleeves. He stood spotlighted by the lack of...everything. Nothingness had never been a word Tsuna had thought to use before, but it seemed to exemplify this place.

"You're pretty naïve. Why would you touch my maw simply because the primarian told you so? He might have been trying to get rid of you. It would solve many of his problems," the voice continued. A large white dragon separated itself from the white space, the exact shape of the dragon statue only much much bigger. Tsuna took a step back. "He definitely cannot be thinking that I would listen to you. I would be more likely to eat your heart."

"I-I thought you weren't interested in my heart," said Tsuna taking another step back. He hesitated. He was looking at the dragon, but something wasn't right. Tsuna couldn't tell whether the dragon would eat him or not. He neither felt hot or calm, and his limbs quivered with panic. He couldn't feel the heat. He couldn't feel it cool or warm or anything. As if the heat was gone.

"I did," said the dragon. Its snarling mouth streaked right into Tsuna's face. "But why would I tell you the truth?"

Tsuna bit back a yelp that still managed to escape as a whimper, and he fell backwards. The dragon snorted.

"And the primarian expects you to be my master," said the dragon while Tsuna tried to regain control of his spasmic limbs. "He has lost it in the last century."

Clutching his fists tight enough to have his nails dig almost through his gloves, Tsuna stood straight and gazed into the fiery orange eyes. They burned. He could feel his stomach boiling and his blood evaporating. But he didn't look away, even as none of his own unnatural heat powered him. The dragon cocked his head, and Tsuna's body instantly cooled as smoke curled out the dragon's snout in a snort.

"Flames have no power here, outside of my own," said the dragon. "Seeing as this is my heart."

"Your heart?" asked Tsuna, unconsciously cocking his own head to match the dragons.

"Soul, mind, heart. Take your pick," said the dragon flicking his two long whiskers. "It is me. As such, you are cut off from your body and your flames. I could devour you, your heart, mind, soul, or whatever, without any trouble."

This time Tsuna didn't step back. He clutched his fists and didn't look away. The dragon yawned and crouched down to lay down on his stomach. Tsuna didn't move. After getting comfortable, neither did the dragon.

For a long moment, Tsuna stared at the dragon, and the dragon kept his eyes loosely on Tsuna. Finally, Tsuna bent down and sat in seiza in front of the dragon. The dragon didn't blink. Despite not being attached to his body or whatever it was the dragon had done, Tsuna started to get tired. His eyes sagged, and his head lolled onto his hand. The dragon's jaw opened in another yawn. Tsuna let his eyes slip from the dragon and rove around him.

"…empty," Tsuna said quietly.

"It is, isn't it," said the dragon, the smoke stilling in face of the words. "A bane of my race's existence. We are not much without a master."

The hand below Tsuna's head slipped, but the brunette managed to keep his forehead from hitting the floor. He regained his balance and sat back though not really in a proper seiza.

"Why?" asked Tsuna.

"Because we are nothing without a master. We gain whatever characteristics our masters need, and then we go back to being this. In the process, we lose ourselves. I don't remember who I used to be when I started out. I don't believe it matters. I just know that it would be best if I was tied to a master who compliments my current self. Who would fill this with something comfortable for me."

The white expanse suddenly gleamed to white, like the inside of the hospital that held his mother when she…Tsuna closed his eyes.

"Are you ready to reenter your body?"

Tsuna's fists uncurled long enough to wrap around his knees, and his eyes opened to gaze at an empty floor. Slowly, he nodded. The smoke curled at the edge of his vision.

"Good," said the dragon, and the same instant Tsuna's senses started to fade. A thought widened the brown eyes and a word escaped out of Tsuna's mouth.

"Wait."

The fading sharpened, and Tsuna raised his head to face the dragon again, his back straight and legs in their proper places.

"What is your name?"

The smoke cut off.

"Name? I have none until my master gives me one," said the dragon.

"But," Tsuna said, the word almost a stutter. "Don't you have one you like?"

The dragon rose to his full height a few feet above Tsuna's head. The dragon's eyes burned brightly again, but Tsuna's body didn't.

"I have none," said the dragon. "I don't care for such things."

"Why?" The soft question echoed the one from earlier, but the tone was entirely different. The dragon's mouth opened in something more threatening than a yawn as the dragon pushed it right in fron of Tsuna's face.

"Because, little paradox, they were given to me by my masters," snarled the dragon.

"Did you hate them?" asked Tsuna, wishing he could feel the heat licking under his skin. The senselessness left him off-balance and oddly weak. Which was weird because Tsuna already thought he was those things.

"No." The dragon's size deflated slightly. "It was much worse than that."

"Worse?"

"I loved them."

The dragon and teen stood in the emptiness surrounded by filled silence, and then Tsuna stretched out his hand and placed it on the dragon's lowered, snarling snout. The dragon growled and dropped his snout out from under Tsuna's hand, but the hand moved quickly to the top of the dragon's head before it could return to its towering height.

"Are you lonely?" The question whispered between them, and the dragon billowed smoke out of his nostrils that engulfed Tsuna's face. Coughs racked Tsuna's body (was it a body?), and Tsuna's fingers clutched the ridge on the top of the dragon's head.

"Let go of me," the dragon roared, the sound rattling through Tsuna's whole body (soul? heart?). "Leave or I will devour you."

The coughs didn't let Tsuna talk, so Tsuna tightened his hold on the dragon's head. He remembered what it felt like to not want someone to let go. Even when the person gripped so tight that Tsuna felt like running. Tsuna had run. And while he had run to get away and loosen the grip that he still wasn't used to, he feared more than anything that their grip would finally slip and let him go. But he was starting to believe that it wouldn't. That the grip his friends had on him wouldn't ever slip. Maybe this dragon wanted to believe that too.

The smoke cleared enough for Tsuna to see the dragon's eyes. The orange eyes no longer burned. They pierced Tsuna, like if they were sharp swords cutting through a straw post. Tsuna had seen Takeshi preform such a trick at the start of their training.

Tsuna's heart took the full impact, and Tsuna wanted desperately to return home. To return to his mother, Takeshi, Yamamoto-san, Fon, and the others. He wanted them to know he would get Tamaki back without carelessly tossing his own life away. He wanted them to see some other expression than the one in those broken, seared eyes, because he knew (and why did he suddenly feel warmth where there was none before?) that he had shown them all that look before running, too scared of failing to notice that by running he was failing them.

Pulling at his hand that somehow felt like part of the dragon's head, Tsuna brought up the dragon's forehead to his own. The dragon's skin was scaly and slick but still felt soft, and the snout that was still pouring our smoke bumped Tsuna's chest reminding Tsuna of the creature's size.

"Please let me help you," whispered Tsuna. Memories of his own friends saying that same thing in so many ways had him placing his other hand under the dragon's jaw. "Please."

"Zarathos," the dragon said as the smoke evaporated completely. "I think my first name was Zarathos."

A smile forced back Tsuna's cheeks, and the hand on top of the dragon's – Zarathos's head slid down to join the other and so form a type of embrace. Tsuna didn't see the white blankness streak orange and smudge red-brown. Nor did he notice the warm breeze blowing past them to fill the no-longer empty space. Lights filled every crevice, like the sky on a well-awaited sunrise. Twin whiskers wrapped around Tsuna's right arm and distracted the teen with the help of softly glowing orange eyes. The warming light touched Tsuna's own face and highlighted the teen's wide, gentle smile.

"Thank you, Zarathos."

* * *

><p>"Lambo! It's I-pin's turn!"<p>

Lambo looked down from his perch on 哥哥''s arms and stuck out his tongue at I-pin. Lambo wasn't going to leave 哥哥' arms until 哥哥' got home. If not 哥哥' might disappear again.

"Nyah! Lambo isn't giving up his seat."

"Lambo, you need to let I-pin have a turn," said 哥哥', but he didn't put Lambo down. Lambo crossed his arms. He always obeyed his 哥哥', because if not 哥哥' might end up liking I-pin better. But he wouldn't leave 哥哥' arms.

"No," said Lambo. "Lambo needs to sit here to protect 哥哥'."

"But I need you to protect I-pin and Fuuta too," said 哥哥'. Lambo felt his 哥哥''s arms shake a bit. "And besides, I think the only one who is going to attack me right now is Reborn."

"Don't worry! Lambo-sama will protect 哥哥' from Reborn!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," said 哥哥' with his smile that wasn't a real smile. 哥哥''s real smile was big and bright and really, really warm.

"Reborn mean. Master say so," said I-pin. "Master told I-pin to no fight Reborn, and I-pin stronger than Lambo."

"Heh-heh," Lambo laughed as he almost stood up in 哥哥''s arms. "Lambo-sama was just going easy on you when he practiced fighting with you. Lambo-sama can beat up anyone, even Reborn!"

"Please don't say that in front of Reborn, Lambo," said 哥哥'. "He will probably use it as an excuse to hurt you and call it training."

"And why would I do that, Dame-Tsuna?" asked a deep voice. 哥哥''s arms grew awkwardly firm under Lambo, and 哥哥''s grip grew tighter.

"It appears that our student knows your methods well," said a not-so-deep voice that Lambo recognized as I-pin's master. The master stood on a wall not too far from where Lambo and I-pin were walking with哥哥' . "But then, he doesn't know them too well or he wouldn't have run off or so long."

"That only means that he has to better familiarize himself with them," said the deep voice, and Lambo had to look where 哥哥' was looking to see Reborn in a tree. The scary hitman was dressed all in green so that Lambo couldn't see him in the tree's leaves.

"Reborn! _Shishō!"_ said 哥哥', and Lambo wondered what trick the hitman had used to make 哥哥' sound like a girl. "I-I didn't…I mean I-I wasn't …I was going back hom—"

"Hana-chan got hurt while you were gone," said I-pin's master. The grip on Lambo slipped and nearly let Lambo fall, but 哥哥' folded his arms again right before Lambo fell to the floor.

"What happened? Did the Vindice attack? Did Daemon?" asked 哥哥'. Lambo smirked at Reborn because the stupid hitman's trick had failed. 哥哥' didn't sound like a girl anymore. He sounded like 哥哥'.

"You wouldn't know. You weren't there," said Reborn. "Mama had to take care of her after Yamamoto rescued her."

哥哥' didn't say anything for a long time, and so Lambo looked up at him and his tummy felt like that time he ate that surprise Vince made him . 哥哥''s eyes…they were dark. Like the room Vince had put Lambo in right after Lambo came home. 哥哥''s eyes looked like someone had put him in a dark room.

"哥哥' here now!" said I-pin, but she wasn't very loud, so Lambo stood up in Tsuna's arms again and yelled.

"Lambo 哥哥' was taking a break, but he's back and he is always going to come back. Lambo-sama made him promise!"

"That no true! 哥哥' promised I-pin! Lambo played with Fuuta!"

"Is it true you promised them always to return to them?" asked I-pin's master. 哥哥''s eyes were hard to see under his hair, but Lambo thought they were even darker than the room.

"He did," said Fuuta in an almost loud voice. Of course, he couldn't be as loud as Lambo-sama, but he was learning. "And Tsuna-nii is ranked 26 out of 394,102 most trustworthy Mafioso in keeping his promises, so he's going to keep this one. Right, Tsuna-nii?"

"I'm sorry," 哥哥' said so quietly that Lambo-sama's awesome ears barely heard 哥哥'. "I…I…"

"Speak clearly, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, clicking his gun and pointing it at 哥哥'. Lambo thought he heard a small 'eep' noise come from 哥哥', but then 哥哥' shifted and lifted his clear, bright eyes that would never be like Vince's dark room.

"I promised that I would always try my hardest to come back, even when rescuing Tama-kun."

"That's a hard promise," said I-pin's master. He was smiling now. Lambo decided he would let I-pin's master have some of his candy next time. A really small piece. "It's one you'll have to work hard all your life to keep."

哥哥' didn't say anything, but Reborn suddenly smirked as if 哥哥' had said something. Lambo glared at the hitman just in case. No way Lambo would ever give Reborn candy, not even the smallest piece that tasted like lemon.

"As your tutor, I have to make sure that you can keep your promise," said Reborn. "After all, a good mafia boss doesn't break promises to his subordinates."

"I-pin and Lambo aren't my subordinates, they're m—" 哥哥' started, but Reborn kicked 哥哥''s head and knocked him down. Lambo tumbled out of 哥哥''s arms and onto the sidewalk.

"They're your _famiglia_," said Reborn. "A boss is over all other members of the _famiglia_, so they are your subordinates."

"Stop bullying 哥哥'!" yelled Lambo, lunging at Reborn. The hitman merely batted Lambo away. Lambo tried to remember his balance like I-pin had told him, but Lambo hit the ground too fast and too hard to land on his feet.

"Reborn! Don't hit him!"

"You are a thousand years too early to try to give me orders," said Reborn, giving 哥哥' another hard kick.

"Agh! I'm sorry!" cried 哥哥'.

"You've said that already," said Reborn, giving Tsuna a couple of more kicks. "A mafia boss doesn't repeat himself more than once."

"Be careful not to break him," said I-pin's master calmly. He walked over and looked like he was going to help 哥哥', but grabbed his hand instead and did the weird thing that doctors sometimes did where they put fingers on the place your hand meets your arm. "We still have to return him to Nana-san, and Tsuyoshi would like to see him fairly unharmed as well. You can continue this when his training starts."

"You're no fun," said Reborn in a voice that sounded scary because it wasn't the hitman's normal tone. He almost sounded like Lambo. 哥哥' groaned as the hitman hopped off him, and Fon let go of his hand. "Time to go home to Mama, Dame-Tsuna."

哥哥' rubbed the back of his head before looking at Reborn.

"She's been waiting for you," said Fon, and 哥哥''s face became like a sick tomato, all red and white and squishy, but Lambo didn't find it funny.

"I know," whispered 哥哥' so quiet that Lambo wasn't sure he was really talking. Lambo was thinking that 哥哥' needed to talk louder when I-pin jumped into 哥哥''s arms.

"Oi! That's not fair! 哥哥' was carrying me!" yelled Lambo, running forward with his arms out to grab I-pin and make her leave his seat.

"It my turn! Lambo lost!" said I-pin with a smile and a hard look that made Lambo stop. "Lambo want fight I-pin?"

Growling, Lambo crossed his arms and didn't step forward. He looked away, because he didn't want to see I-pin's stupid face. She was probably laughing since she got lucky and beat him every day. Since they started practicing to help 哥哥', Lambo hadn't won once. One day soon, Lambo would stop going easy on her and defeat her in one blow and then she would—

"Here, Lambo," said a voice, and Lambo looked up to see warm brown eyes. Lambo's favorite warm brown eyes. "I'll carry both of you."

Lambo looked down at the hand in front of him and then at 哥哥''s face. Lambo wanted to act like a man, like the others at the Bovinos did and say no. He wanted to yell really loud that he wouldn't share, like a real Mafioso would, and show 哥哥' that Lambo was strong enough to protect 哥哥' and didn't need to be treated like a baby. But 哥哥' was there, and Lambo wanted more to make sure that 哥哥' stayed. That he didn't break his promise. So Lambo jumped up into 哥哥''s arm.

"Fine, but 哥哥' owes Lambo-sama candy," said Lambo.

"Lambo!" cried I-pin, but Lambo was ignoring her and 哥哥''s smile was better to look at anyway.

* * *

><p>The bell above the door chimed, and Takeshi lifted his head from where he was cutting a large tuna very slowly. Nana only caught a glimpse of his shadowed frown before it quickly morphed into a bright customer smile. Her own smile slipped at the change, but Nana knew she couldn't say anything. Not without her heart sinking further into that dark hungry worry. Tsu-kun would be back. He would be back soon, and then they could say goodbye to Papa…to Iemitsu together. And after that, Tsu-kun could go get his brother. And they could all start again at their new house that Iemistu's old boss—the Ninth had said would be ready in about two weeks. Maybe…maybe everything would be okay then.<p>

"Welcome to Takesu—" Takeshi's greeting cut off strangely, and Nana quickly lowered the heat so the pot of soup would only simmer as she hurried to check what had startled Takeshi and perhaps make a quick retreat through the back exit like Tsuyoshi had shown her "just in case" someone a little more unpleasant came to the door. "Ah…you're back."

Nana barely registered the words before she noticed the hunched over figure in front of Takeshi. Faster than many would have thought possible, Nana sped across the shop and encircled her eldest son in her arms. She held him, her sweet son with clear eyes and a bright smile that could cause anyone's heart to warm at a glance. Her hands trembled as they ran through his hair, and she had to steady them by wrapping them tighter around her sweet, strong Tsuna. She clutched him so hard that she barely noticed the arms tightening around her.

Nana would have gone on holding her son (he was the only one she could hold right now), but she knew that if she kept going he would be embarrassed. Boys his age always did get embarrassed when their mothers hugged them in front of their friends. And if she didn't make herself unwrap her arms now, she might never be able to.

"Tsu-kun, welcome home," said Nana as she wrestled her arms out of their hold, though she couldn't bring her body under control enough to stand from her slouched position. She could see her Tsu-kun's face better from here where he couldn't hide beneath his hair. "You should have told Mama you were going to go play at a friend's house. Mama was worried."

A wrinkle of confusion passed across Tsu-kun's face, but his expression quickly wrinkled into a darker emotion, one that Nana worried Tsu-kun experienced too much. Her own chest hollowed at the sight. Nana would do anything so that Tsu-kun wouldn't feel the same way she did.

"I'm sorry," said Tsuna in his quietest voice, the one that made so many people wonder if he had said anything in the first place. "I…I couldn't…I…"

"It's okay, Tsu-kun. Papa…Papa made his own deci—"

"I'll get him back," said Tsuna, and Nana's body almost straightened at the tone. That tone…Iemitsu. Nana had heard Tsuna talk like that before but now—now she realized why she couldn't believe Iemitsu when he'd said he'd get Tama back. Brown eyes bored into hers. "I'll save Tama-kun. You won't lose a son too."

A sad smile flicked onto Nana's lips. Her arms itched to surround her eldest, but Nana moved them firmly by her sides. This was her fault, and she would just have to keep doing her best to fix it.

"Tsu-kun—"

"I'm going to bring him back," said Tsuna, and the brown eyes seemed to warm with a faint orange like the simmering flame in the kitchen. "I promised I-pin I would."

"Yeah!" said I-pin from where she was standing near Tsu-kun's leg. "哥哥' promised came back. 哥哥' bring back Tama and 哥哥'."

Nana stared wide-eyed between her eldest and the little girl she had come to look at as her own daughter (or rather very adorable niece), and a smile stretched her lips as she watched Tsu-kun's eyes flick warmly to the small girl and then return their gaze to Nana with a solid gaze.

"Tsu-kun always keeps his promises," said Nana, and the solid gaze faltered. She stroked her son's soft head remembering when he was a baby, so soft and small. He was always so small. And now, he…he wasn't small anymore. Her short but growing, sweet and…and strong son. So strong. But still her little boy. "Sometimes it just takes him a little longer."

The smile that appeared under warm, firm eyes made several of Nana's worries lift. He would be fine. A glance to her left allowed some new worries to settle themselves across her shoulders, but she was used to them. She was a mother after all.

"Takeshi, do you think Tsuyoshi-san would mind if we close a little earlier? I want to start preparing for Tsu-kun's welcome home party," said Nana, bringing attention to the boy standing to her Tsu-kun's right. The shadows darkening his face disappeared under the force of his cheerful grin. Nana wondered how Takeshi was so like her Tsu-kun.

"No. Dad would probably help you get it ready," said Takeshi, his grin too wide and too open. "He loves parties."

"I'll go tell him then," said Nana. She straightened herself out and gave the two boys a smile of her own. "Why don't you help Tsu-kun get Lambo and I-pin ready for a nap?"

"What?! Lambo-sama isn't sleepy!" cried Lambo.

"I-pin no want to sleep now," said I-pin in what would sound too calm to be a whine in any other child.

"But if I-pin and Lambo don't go to sleep now, then they won't be able to stay awake for all of Tsu-kun's party," said Nana. "And then they won't get to see the fireworks."

"Fireworks?" asked I-pin, her eyes almost sparkling.

"Lambo-sama can stay awake without taking a nap," whined Lambo with an obvious pout.

"But it's better to be safe than sorry, right, Lambo?" said Tsuna, and Lambo's pout shifted as he looked up at Tsuna.

"If 哥哥' says so," said Lambo. Nana let out a quiet giggle, and four pairs of eyes looked at her.

"Tsu-kun's such a good big brother," said Nana, and the two kids nodded while Tsu-kun blushed which almost made her giggle again. But Takeshi's face…the shadows had returned. She closed her eyes and smiled wider. She would go tell Tsuyoshi that Tsu-kun has come back. And hopefully while they were gone, Tsu-kun would see the shadows and help Takeshi like Takeshi wanted to help Tsu-kun.

* * *

><p>As Nana walked off, Fon's respect for the woman increased. She most likely wanted more time with her son, but she was willing to relinquish extra time with her son to someone who needed it more. Fon gazed cautiously between the two boys.<p>

At the best of times, Tsuyoshi's son was hard to read despite seeming so simple and open. Takeshi was much like his father in that respect, though Fon suspected that the boy's more serious side came from his mother, considering what little Fon had heard of her. Nevertheless, from whatever side of his family Takeshi got his darker side from, he was a force to be reckoned with. And with Tsuna…apparently Fon's student needed all the forces available to keep Tsuna off his current path of destruction. Though Tsuna was making steps on his own, there wasn't such a thing as too much carefulness when it came to Tsuna. Too little, and they might just lose him. How many times had they almost lost him already?

"So you were at Kawahira's all this time then," said Takeshi, his grin returned to his face.

"Yeah," said Tsuna gazing up quietly at the taller teen. Tsuna's eyes were wary but sharp. Apparently Tsuna's hyper intuition was warning him to take this conversation seriously. Good. He would need to.

"Then let's take the kids up to take that nap. Dad's been a bit worried since they went off to play with Fuuta and didn't come back," said Takeshi, and Tsuna blushed a little and scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked Kawahira and Lancia if they called home," said Tsuna quietly.

"I-pin sorry too," said I-pin politely. Not that Fon expected any less from his first student. And his second student was a good example of manners if nothing else.

"That's okay. But we should get you to bed quickly so you'll be awake in time for dinner. I think Dad can make us all Bluefin sushi," said Takeshi. Fon and Reborn quietly followed the two boys in the shadows. Reborn wasn't going to admit it, but the hitman wasn't going to let Tsuna out of his sight any more than Fon was.

Lambo struggled and kicked off his covers when Takeshi tried to help the boy into bed, but the five-year-old would-be assassin settled down when Tsuna came over after helping I-pin into bed. Tsuna became a bit flustered as the little boy threw his arms around Tsuna in a quick hug before sticking his tongue out at I-pin and laying down in bed. Soon enough, the two teens stepped out of the children's room and headed downstairs.

"Dad'll be back soon," said Takeshi. "He had to go to the Geko's place to get some of the really good fish for tomorrow. Yashido-san asked Dad to make his wife some special sushi for her birthday."

"Takeshi," said Tsuna, his voice low and quiet. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Takeshi. His grin remained bright and cheerful, and only years of exposure to the elder Yamamoto allowed Fon to see past it. Of course, even with much less exposure, Fon's student had little trouble seeing past it, but whether that fact testified to the closeness of the two or Tsuna's hyper intuition, Fon wasn't sure. Tsuna's averted eyes and downcast expression gave credit to the former conclusion.

"I ran away," Tsuna whispered, the "again" echoed soundlessly in the words, and Fon remembered hearing Takeshi talk about a closing door and a forced intrusion. Tsuyoshi had given his son a softer than usual smile and a pat on the younger Yamamoto's shoulder.

The grin on Takeshi's face shrunk significantly as Tsuna didn't look up. A hand came up and scratched the back of Takeshi's neck, and the young swordsman sighed as the two entered the restaurant's large kitchen.

"She watched baseball with me," Takeshi said, his voice low and his grin gone. "She could barely sit up at that point, but it was the Swallow's first game of the season, and we always watched it together. She wouldn't say anything for the most part, just stared at the TV until the Swallows scored. Then she would grin really wide and say something like 'About time!' or something like it or if they didn't score she would say 'Their line-up was ridiculous' or 'They didn't train enough off-season.' She wouldn't shout, not like she would when we went to a game, but she would always say something. I knew something was wrong when the Swallows got three homeruns and she didn't say anything."

Tsuna's eyes had lifted to Takeshi's face, but the taller teen had looked away. From where Fon was standing hidden in one of the various shadows in the kitchen, he could see the wet gleam sparkling in the younger Yamamoto's eyes. Fon nearly left the kitchen and left the two boys alone, but concern over how Tsuna would react kept him rooted.

There was a reason that both he and Reborn had hidden their presence shortly before Tsuna entered Takesushi. The two had pretended to leave to take care of business, but neither was going to let Tsuna out of their sight. However, Tsuna could not see either of his teachers treating him like glass, especially considering what they had planned for the boy after he finished reassuring his friends and mother with his presence. Tsuna needed to finish this first, and then they would start the boy's punishme—no, training.

"She was sick for a long time by then. She didn't like me to see, but it was kinda hard to hide," Takeshi continued, and his head tilted forward as if to cover his eyes with his hair. Unfortunately for Tsuyoshi's son, he didn't have enough hair to truly fall over his eyes or the height to make the gesture fully effective. Tsuna could still see Tsuyoshi's son's face clearly. The young swordsman must have realized this fact because he put on one of his more stretched grins. "I hoped the game would make her feel better. I hoped…I thought maybe if she felt better, if she would smile, then maybe…maybe she'd get better. I didn't want to break her concentration if she really was paying attention to the game, so I didn't look back to check that she was. I didn't move. But then the game ended."

Tsuna's hand twitched upward as if Tsuna wanted to touch his friend's shoulder, to bring Takeshi back to the present when he was enclosed in shadows of the past. But then Takeshi's grin slumped into a barely visible smile, and Tsuna froze as if pinned beneath the weight of the tired hazel eyes.

"Dad had been crying," said Takeshi, his voice matching his grin. "I only noticed because his cheeks were wet, and his eyes didn't see me. I looked at Mom and she…her eyes weren't looking at me either. They weren't looking at anything."

Wide brown eyes stared into dark, sagging hazel. Takeshi attempted another grin, but Tsuna barely moved his head in a shake. The attempt at a grin failed, and the taller teen's face took on its most blank expression.

"She died. When I wasn't looking, she died," said Takeshi. "I never got to see her smile again."

Tsuna leaned slightly backwards as if to put distance between the statement and himself. Minutes passed, and Takeshi's blank face gained slight lines along his brow and eyes as Tsuna's remained in an expression of confusion. Suddenly Takeshi shifted and inclined his weight onto his left foot as if he was going to turn around, but Tsuna immediately leaned forward.

"He smiled too much," said Tsuna almost too quickly. Takeshi's gaze became fixed on the smaller teen as Tsuna's line of sight fell just right of where Takeshi was. Fon felt himself lean forward as his student continued. "He'd come home with a big grin, like if he hadn't been gone long. He started talking about how he missed us, and then he would grab Tama or Mom and twirl them around. He would always try to grab me, but I always ran away from him. I didn't…I didn't want to…to have anything to do with the man that made Mama and Tama cry."

"I thought if I hated him it would be easier." Tsuna's voice quieted, and he tried to hide his shaking hands by making them into fists. "I wanted to hate him. He got Mama hurt and then he…he didn't even visit her in the hospital. He hurt Tama with his words and made Tama push me away. And he…he really didn't care what happened to me. I wasn't…I wasn't Tama or Mama. He didn't come home to see me. I was sure of it. He didn't care about me…but then…he…"

The last words came out distorted and wobbly as the voice that produced them became wet and heavy. No other sound followed the heavy-sounding words, but Fon could see his student's cheeks gleam wet. Tsuna brought up an arm to stop the flow, but rubbing his eyes did little to stem the streams of tears.

"You know, your dad didn't sound like a good guy, and I don't think Dad or the others really liked him," said Takeshi, a soft smile on his face that didn't resemble any of his wide grins. "But he was still your dad. I think it's okay to cry because you'll never see him smile again. Actually, you really should cry. It wouldn't be fair to your dad if you didn't."

The gleaming brown eyes grew wide for an instant as tears continued to leak down his cheeks and then scrunged shut. The small brunet's whole face crumpled and wrinkled as a quiet, hiccupping sob escaped the boy's shaking lips. More sobs followed, none louder than the last, and the small brunet soon bent in half and crouched on the floor with his head behind his knees.

Soft smile still in place, Takeshi bent down and sat next to his friend, and Fon wanted to come out from his hidden corner and place a hand on Tsuna's arm. But a quick glimpse to another dark corner stopped him. Reborn was watching the two with a shadowed, almost unreadable look. If Fon had not spent several months interacting with the hitman, he would have thought that the hitman was merely an indifferent observer, but Fon had grown to understand the hitman better. The tightened fist and frustrated glint in the hitman's eyes were now clear to Fon, and the martial artist could even venture a guess as to what the hitman was thinking.

Should Fon go to comfort his student, Reborn would not follow. He would stay in his corner and continue to watch. But the hitman would want to come out of his corner. He would want to comfort their student. Unfortunately, the boy didn't truly trust the hitman yet. Even after all this time, Tsuna still saw the hitman as mainly his brother's tutor and a man to fear. Tsuna would never cry if he knew Reborn was in the room.

Fon made himself comfortable where he stood. In the end, Fon could not bring himself to add salt to that wound. Tsuna would be fine. Takeshi would make sure that the smaller boy would be fine. He didn't need Fon right now. But he would. And he would need Reborn as well. They could wait.


	54. Truly Disciplined

Chapter 54: _Truly Disciplined_

Tsuyoshi recognized the quiet sounds the minute he entered the shop. He had last heard those sounds coming home from shopping three months after Mako had died. In the dark corner between the stove and the rice cabinets, Takeshi had rolled into a ball and a mess of tears. The sight had broken Tsuyoshi's heart, especially when Takeshi had immediately tried to dry his tears and stop his sobs when he saw Tsuyoshi. A few quiet spoken words and shared tears had remedied the situation, but Tsuyoshi didn't think that would work in the situation, not if those sobs belonged to who he thought they did.

Carefully keeping his steps silent, Tsuyoshi opened the door quietly and peered into the kitchen. A sad smile curled his lips, and he just as silently closed the door. One Yamamoto was all that was needed in that situation, and there were already enough pairs of eyes viewing the scene. The smile still in place, Tsuyoshi headed towards the training room to lug his purchases upstairs that way. Nana was sitting in the doorway as Tsuyoshi entered through the outside door. She gave him a sweet smile that reminded Tsuyoshi of her son's while at the same time seemed all her own.

"Welcome home," said Nana. "Do you need help since the boys are taking up the kitchen?"

"A man should never ask a lady for help carrying something," said Tsuyoshi, his father's words echoing through his head. "It makes him look weak."

A wince flashed through Nana's features, and Tsuyoshi had not trouble interpreting the cause. Iemistu must have said something like that at some point. But before Tsuyoshi could think of anything to say, Nana quickly smiled again.

"You men always have to act so manly," said Nana. "I wonder if Tsu-kun and Tama-chan will say something like that to a girl someday."

"They'd be a step behind my Takeshi," said Tsuyoshi, putting down his purchases. Thankfully none of the purchases needed to be refrigerated immediately. "He told a girl that when he was the first grade."

"Really? Oh my, what a gentleman," said Nana.

"Yes, his mother made sure of that," said Tsuyoshi, debating whether he should finish the story and include the fact that the mother of the little girl came the next day and proposed a marriage contract. Mako had dealt with the women accordingly.

"Why are you coming up this way? Is there something the matter in the kitchen?" asked a voice behind Nana. A frazzled haired girl stood tall at the bottom of the steps, and Tsuyoshi's smile became a grin at the sharp, intelligent expression coming out from under the girl's uncombed hair. "I would offer to help with the packages, but if your son is any indication of your family's code of honor, I would assume you would only refuse my help."

"My son does do a good job of keeping my family's honor intact," said Tsuyoshi. The girl gave him a slightly irritated look that Mako would have approved of before turning to Nana.

"So why haven't you entered the kitchen? Is there a rat running around and making it difficult for you to use it? Because I am certain that Yamamoto-san can take care of that problem quickly," she said before taking a look at the bags around Tsuyoshi's feet. "Though it seems that whatever is going on in there is something that even an experienced swordsman doesn't want to deal with."

"Tsuna and Takeshi are taking care of it," said Nana, and Tsuyoshi grinned at her perceptiveness. It wasn't only her son that could take stock of a situation without fully seeing it.

"So he's back," said the girl, a full blown glare being thrown at the kitchen door. She strode forward. "Good, because I have a few things I have to remind to him."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait," said Tsuyoshi. He took half a step sideways to block the Kurokawa girl's path. "Takeshi's taking his turn first."

"Fine," said Hana, stopping mid-stride. After giving the door another hard glare, she focused her attention on Nana. "What exactly did you need me to come over for? I assume that he wasn't here yet when you called."

"Oh right. No, Tsu-kun wasn't back yet, and I do apologize for all the trouble my request has caused you," said Nana. "I didn't want to bother you, but I couldn't get it to work."

"Get what to work?" asked Hana-chan.

"The program on the computer," said Nana with her slightly sheepish smile. "I'm not very good with the internet. Tama-kun used to help me with it when I needed to use it. Tsu-kun would try, but he isn't that good with it either."

"Fine," said Hana-chan, fast enough that the shadows wouldn't settle in Nana's eyes. Tsuyoshi could tell the girl had practice with the younger Sawada. "Where is this computer?"

"Upstairs," said Nana. "Tsuyoshi has let us use his."

"It's not like it was doing me much good," said Tsuyoshi. His grin was stretched just wide enough on his face to keep from looking suspicious. He hadn't used the computer in at least a year before Tsuna came. Since it had been a helpful tool for keeping Fon here and Tsuyoshi apprised of the going-ons of the mafia. However, he hadn't been using it since Tsuna and Nana had come to stay. Just because the woman now understood some of the mafia didn't mean that Tsuyoshi wished to increase her knowledge of that world.

The two females walked up the stairs, and Tsuyoshi followed quietly behind, listening to their conversation.

"So what is it that your son asked you to the on the computer you barely used," asked Hana-chan.

"He wanted me to keep in touch with one of his friends. He said her name was Nakimori Nagi. I thought Tama-chan used to play with a girl with that name in the hospital back when I was sick, and Tsu-kun told me she was the same girl. I was so happy to hear that Tsu-kun was talking to her again, and from what I saw in the e-mail, he was talking to her as Tsu-kun and not Tama-kun."

"You knew about that?" said Hana-chan, giving the woman a side-glance. "That Tsu-kun decided to cover for the moronic monkey king when he got sick?"

"Of course. A mother can always tell her sons apart."

The Kurokawa girl grunted but didn't reply. Tsuyoshi admired her restraint. Suddenly, Hana-chan stopped mid-step.

"What exactly did Tsuna tell you to do when he asked you to keep in touch with Nakimori?" asked the girl, her tone clip and her words hard.

"He told me to keep sending her messages until he got back. He made me promise, and so I did my best. But I don't think the messages are getting through. She hasn't replied to a single one of them," said Nana with a bit more cheerfulness that normal.

"He made you promise to keep emailing her until he came back," repeated the Kurokawa girl, her fingers digging into the railing against the wall. Her dark brown eyes smoldered with an anger that Tsuyoshi hadn't seen since Mako. "And what if he didn't come back?"

"Then I would keep sending her messages, I guess," said Nana in her lightest tone as she sent a quick look at the closed kitchen door. The Kurokawa girl turned around to march down the steps, but Tsuyoshi stepped in her way.

"Don't worry," said Tsuyoshi. His grin more of a grim smile. "My Takeshi will take care of it."

She glared at him but mumbled a comment that Tsuyoshi could barely hear about stupid sons and fathers that idolized each other and turned around.

"Let's get this taken care of," said Hana-chan. "I want to be done so that I can have my turn with that idiotically stubborn son you have."

"I wouldn't want you to lose your turn," said Nana. Her brown eyes bore a steel that had Tsuyoshi worrying a little extra for the brown-haired boy in the kitchen. Tsuyoshi would have to make sure to explain to Tsuna why it wasn't a good idea to make women worry.

Soon the computer turned on, and the screen light flickered on. The model wasn't very new or very old, and it ran at a fairly slow speed. Tsuyoshi quickly learned that fewer people were compelled to go through an old man's computer if it took several minutes to obey a command. Hana-chan dealt with it with impressive patience, though her frustration came out in loud, angry sighs and quiet growls. Tsuyoshi considered imputing the command to increase the computer's processing speed, but then he would get a lot of unwanted questions. Unfortunately for Hana-chan, Tsuyoshi wasn't prepared to answer them.

"Finally," the girl muttered as the email account appeared on the screen. She scrolled down the page and inspected the emails. She was silent as she shifted between settings and controls and the different folders, her silence becoming more and more grave as her face grew more serious.

"Well?" said Nana, breaking the heavy silence.

"As far as I can tell, they are being sent, but they are not being opened," said Hana-chan as she leant back and away from the computer. "The last email she sent didn't imply that her mother suspected that she was emailing Tsuna, but then she is too much like your son and might just not have said anything. However nothing in the tone of the email implies that she feels her contact to Tsuna is being threatened."

"So it's not the computer then?" said Nana, staring at the screen with worried eyes.

"No," said Hana-chan, looking back at the woman. The girl stared at Nana before continuing in a harder tone, "But you didn't think it was."

"I wouldn't have known," said Nana with a thin and see-through smile. "I already told you I am bad with computers."

"You think something happened to her," said the Kurokawa girl, "but you don't want to add more problems when there are already enough here. But something about it won't leave you alone."

"Like I said. I'm just no good with computers," said Nana.

"Yes, but you still think there is something more going on with this," said Hana-chan, standing from the chair in front of the computer which she didn't bother to turn off. "I will see what I can find out. This might be another problem, but this is one problem we might be able to take care of before your ridiculously self-blaming son can catch on about it. Between this new weirdo group in town and the whole failure of a plan, he's got enough to make us worry about him. Yamamoto-san, if you would allow me use of your phone, I will begin to find out what is going on with Nakimori."

His grin wide and loose, Tsuyoshi led the girl downstairs to the phone. Between them all, they might just keep Tsuna in one piece.

* * *

><p>Reborn waited until his student's sobs silenced. Then he appeared from his corner in front of the born hitman and future right hand of Vongola Decimo. At one time, Reborn had had hopes that Gokudera would become Tsuna's right hand. Smokin' Bomb Hayato already had a reputation in the mafia underworld and an understanding of how it worked. Also, the boy was genius and would have made a wonderful right hand man if properly groomed. But moments like these had cropped up too often for Reborn to ignore in whom Tsuna's trust truly lay. Frowning, Reborn kept his eyes focused on the young swordsman holding Tsuna's limp body upright and not on the figure that appeared right beside him.<p>

"You did well, Takeshi-kun," said Fon, his approval pervading his words. "I believe we can be of assistance in helping you get him to bed."

"It's alright. Tsuna's not very heavy," said Takeshi quietly standing and repositioning Tsuna onto his back. "Hana will want to talk to him though. I guess we'll have to throw the welcome back party later."

"She will have to wait until tomorrow, and the party will have to hold for a few more days," said Reborn. "Our no-good student needs to rest so that he can start training."

"Mom always said a quick punishment leads a person to become slower at doing the wrong thing again," said the young swordsman with a grin. "Dad's going to restart my training tomorrow too."

"I doubt it is punishment in your case," said Fon, and Reborn clenched his teeth. The hitman had always thought that the storm arcobaleno was too open to be part of the mafia.

"No," said Yamamoto as he started up the stairs. "Waiting for Tsuna was."

"Yes, it was," agreed the storm arcobaleno. Reborn didn't verbalize his agreement, and instead focused on exactly how much the future Vongola Decimo was going to ache the following afternoon.

* * *

><p>Shoichi stood in front of Takesushi , hoping that this time would be different from the last two visits. Hopefully Tsuna will have reappeared, and they would be able to get started on Plan F. They would get Tsuna's brother back next time. No one wanted to see that blankness in Tsuna's eyes ever again.<p>

"Best to go in and get it over with," said Shamal from beside Shoichi. "He's either there or he's not. And you have quite a lot to go before your sparkles are any match for my mosquitos."

Shoichi let out a sigh, but before he could think of correcting the doctor (they were not "sparkles") a shout echoed from down the street.

"What are you doing here?!"

Shoichi recognized the voice immediately and turned towards it. He hadn't seen the silver-haired genius since the day Tsuna had disappeared, but the red-haired inventor was sure Gokudera must have visited Takesushi several times since then.

"If it isn't little Hayato-kun," said Shamal smirking. "Come to see if your boss has finally stopped resisting the urge to see your adorable face and has reappeared?"

"Shut up, perverted old man. Don't talk about Tsuna-sama like that," said Gokudera. The comment didn't sound as sharp as usual as Gokudera's attention quickly shifted to the shop in front of them. A sudden crash startled them, and Gokudera had his dynamites out in an instant. A blue, brown and orange blur streaked out of the door. It sharpened into focus halfway down the sidewalk.

"Wait! Don't shoot Reborn! Gokudera, Irie-ku—"

Silenced gunfire pinged from the top of a lamppost, and the brown-haired teen let out a high-pitched cry while managing to avoid the bullets barely.

"You have three minutes," said the small figure standing on the lamppost. If Shamal hadn't further explained the basics about the arcobaleno, Shoichi would have boggled at the physics ignored in order to get an infant onto a lamppost without anyone noticing. As it was, Shoichi was doing his best to ignore the impossible baby.

Tsuna hurried towards Shoichi and Gokudera and stopped a few steps in front of them. Gokudera straightened automatically, but the line of Gokudera's shoulders appeared more rigid than firm. Tsuna's hands clutched the orange hems of his sleeves, and his brown eyes settled on the floor. Whether Gokudera's rigidness caused Tsuna's hems to fray or if the opposite was true, Shoichi didn't know. But he did know that his lungs expanded with relief at the natural clearness in Tsuna's eyes, despite their jitteriness.

"Gokudera, Irie-kun, I…I—"

"Two minutes and fifteen seconds," came a second voice from near Gokudera's feet. A second impossible infant stood slightly between them and Tsuna.

"_Shishō_, not you too," said Tsuna in a quiet wail. His eyes soon raised to look straight into Shoichi and Gokudera's. They did not glow or flicker orange, but Shoichi's breath still stuck in his lungs. "I'm sorry."

"Tsuna-sama doesn't need to apologi—" started Gokudera. Shoichi admired the fact that Gokudera could speak.

"I do," interrupted Tsuna. The paralyzing expression faded under a quivering nervousness. "I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have disappeared. I…I promised I-pin I'd bring back Tama-kun, and I was hoping…Will you help me?"

"Of course, Tsuna-sama," exclaimed Gokudera, his fist pumping in the air and the rigidness gone from his shoulders. "We will follow you wherever you go! Shoichi and I have already been going over plans with the sword freak. If we can get Kawahira-san to find where the moronic imitation is by following the illusionist's flame—"

Tsuna fell face first onto the sidewalk, the first impossible baby on his head.

"Three minutes are up," said Reborn with a wild smile and his gun cocked next to his head. "I would start running."

Fast enough for Shoichi to lose track of the movement, Tsuna sprung up and started running in the direction he had originally been going.

"Our student will appreciate finishing hearing about this further later. We will have him back by nightfall," said Fon.

"In one piece?" Shoichi whispered.

"Hm. Probably," said Fon. He walked after the other two at a calm pace, and Shoichi decided that his training schedule wasn't that bad.

"I hope they don't damage him too much out of their worry," said Shamal, "I don't treat men."

"If Tsuna-sama comes back injured, you will treat him," said Gokudera.

"And if I don't, what are you going to do, little Hayato-kun," said Shamal.

"Send a letter to _Madre_," said Gokudera. Shamal's easy slouch quivered and almost straightened.

"Threats can only go so far," said Shamal.

"Would you like me to act on it, perverted old man?" asked Gokudera.

"Maybe I will inform your sister that Reborn is currently free of his annoying student," said Shamal. "I haven't seen her in a while. It would be good to see how much she's grown."

Gokudera's face lost all color. The silver-haired genius growled, and Shoichi had heard enough of this conversation.

"Why don't we go inside and see what happened yesterday?" asked Shoichi. "I want to know when Tsuna got back."

"That sword freak has got a lot to answer for," Gokudera continued in his growl, and Shoichi decided to apologize to Yamamoto later. The bomber stormed into the shop. "Sword freak!"

"Yo, Gokudera. Did you see Tsuna?" asked Takeshi, coming from the kitchen. Gokudera took five large steps towards Yamamoto and wrapped his fingers around the swordsman's shirt collar and pushed the swordsman against the counter.

"Why didn't you tell me that Tsuna-sama had returned?" demanded Gokudera.

"Tsuna didn't come back until late yesterday, and then he fell asleep soon after he got here, so I didn't think you needed to bother come over," said Takeshi with a careless grin. Shoichi wondered at his lack of self-preservation instincts. Sure, the swordsman wasn't anywhere near Tsuna's level, but there had to be a less self-destructive way to deal with Gokudera's ire. "I was going to call you this morning, but Fon and the kid took him to training before the sun got up this morning and brought him back to eat breakfast before going back to training."

"You're not the only one annoyed by the situation," said Hana as she walked down the stairs with a brush in her hand and her hair half-styled. "I was hoping to catch him before his teachers resumed his punishment."

"Tsuna said they were training," said Takeshi, his wide grin still perfectly in place as he half-hung over the counter.

"It's the same thing," said Hana. "Hopefully they'll knock some sense into him. Not that that has worked before, but one can hope. Either way when he returns, I will have words with him."

"Tsuna needs to talk to you too," said Takeshi, scratching the back of his head. "He said last night he wants to talk to everyone. Well, he didn't say so much as—"

"Shut up, sword freak," said Gokudera, giving Takeshi a hard shake.

"Let him go," said Hana. Her tone could have frozen a flame. The bomber's glare couldn't compete with that below-zero stare. Gokudera let Takeshi go. "It's not his fault that Tsuna believes the whole world will fall apart if he relies on us. No, it's the fault of two people, and both of them have suffered for it. Or maybe one has or still is. The other's too dead to tell. Either way, it is up to us to break Tsuna of this…habit. I think it's been proven that it will take time, but we have made progress. He at least came back on his own."

"Tsuna's hurt. He lost his dad, and he was scared," said Takeshi. His hazel eyes were serious and sad, and for an instant, he was hard to recognize. Takeshi was always cheerful and sometimes serious, but sad…sad wasn't something recognizable on the swordsman. "He didn't know if he could come to us because we didn't like his dad. And that we were mad that he tried to save Tamaki by taking his place. I don't think Tsuna's very good with people being angry at him."

"He'll have to learn," said Hana.

"You said it will take time" said Shoichi carefully. He didn't want to anger the girl, but he had to help Tsuna. Unlike the others, he wasn't angry at Tsuna. Just disappointed. He wanted to be the same kind of friend to Tsuna that Tsuna was to him.

"Unfortunately, mental wounds take much longer to heal than physical ones," said Shamal. "Which is why I focus on the physical aspect of medicine and don't treat men."

"What are you still doing here?" asked Hana. The doctor's expression went from serious to leering in a remarkable 2.5 seconds.

"To make your wildest dreams come true," said Shamal with a crooked, wide smile. Gokudera growled, but the doctor ignored him. Hana however stepped forward and slapped him. Hard.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. We have serious issues to deal with," said the girl, and the three boys inched away from her. Shamal's smile lessened, but he didn't back away.

"You don't need to be shy. If your heart was already taken, you could have just said so. Which one of these young men can claim to have such a lovely flower's love," said Shamal. To Shoichi's surprise, a light pink dusted the girl's cheeks.

"I don't think a female's rejection of you is any indicator of her interest in someone else," said Hana. She crossed her arms, but the slight blush remained. "Especially if the female is half your age."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Tsuna's mother coming up behind them from the kitchen.

"No. You could never interrupt anything with your beautiful presence, angel," said Shamal. He grabbed Sawada-san's hand and bowed. "If anything, you brighten our day with your presence."

"Oh my, you have such good manners, Dr. Shamal. Tsuna and Reborn left a few minutes ago, but if you need to talk to either of them they should be back for dinner," said Sawada-san, gently pulling her hand away.

"Perhaps I will remain here until they return and appreciate your beauty," said Shamal.

"I'm afraid I don't let people loiter in my restaurant," said Yamamoto-san, appearing behind Sawada-san. How the man's wide grin could look slightly frightening, Shoichi wasn't sure, but he didn't want to test the man's temper and find out. "However you can probably help Hana with her project."

"No thank you. He would probably taint it," said Hana. "If you're free, Irie-kun, I would like your help."

"Good morning," came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Vongola Ninth standing in the doorway paralleled on either side by a man with long silver hair and a slightly shorter man with blond hair and a tiara. Shoichi wished he could go back to the days where these men would have looked strange. But Shoichi had quickly learned that most people that came around Tsuna were strange.

"Good morning, Nono," said Gokudera with a half-bow. Takeshi glanced at Gokudera before executing a sloppy half-bow of his own. Shoichi hoped his didn't look as sloppy as the redhead followed suit. Out of the corner of his eye, Shoichi could see that Hana and Yamamoto-san also executed small bows, though Yamamoto-san's was straighter than Hana's. Despite not being able to see the doctor, Shoichi assumed he was doing the same. Sawada-san simply bobbed her head and smiled, as if the man were any other standing at the door.

"How are things going, Timoteo-san?" asked Nana.

"The preparations for the funeral are going as well as can be expected," said the Vongola Ninth. "I'm afraid I have some pressing business back home that I have to return to."

"Has news of the incident reached the ears of those in Italy?" asked Hana, her tone less sharp and more serious than earlier. It sounded a lot like the men that Shoichi had to deal with in regards to his Boxes. Very professional and always suspicious of an angle.

"As far as the information gathered shows, no, but there have been some rather worrying incidents that require my presence back in Italy," said the Vongola Ninth. "And so I have called Ganauche to oversee your training."

"Georg Ganauche III?" asked Shamal.

"Yes," said the Vongola Ninth. The old man smiled. "He will be pleased to see you again, Trident Shamal. He should be here in three days at the latest. Bouche will join him a week or so before the planned funeral. Between those two and those already here, they will make sure you are ready for the inheritance ceremony."

"Those already here?" asked Hana.

"Reborn, of course. Fon would be a good asset, and Trident Shamal here too. If I have not grown too old or too senile, then I would venture to guess that you also have the_ Akai Shigure _in your midst, so I am certain that you have enough people to prepare you for what will happen in the inheritance ceremony."

"If it accomplishes its purpose or if we actually have to go through with it?" asked Hana.

"Both," said the Vongola Ninth. A pinched smile that neither looked happy or sad wrinkled his face. "You will certainly make a good steward for the Vongola."

"Steward?" asked Hana.

"Ganauche will explain when he gets here. Until then, I leave you in Reborn's care," said Vongola Ninth.

"And how is he supposed to do that while he trains Tsuna?" asked Hana. The pinched smile widened and softened.

"He is rather attached to the boy, isn't he?" said the Ninth.

"I think it's safe to say that most everyone here is," said Shamal. "Some more than others."

"Are we going to leave sometime today, old man?!" yelled the silver-haired man almost as loud as the boxer that kept reappearing the last few days. "The idiot Nougat wanted you back by today!"

"The prince doesn't think the shark is being smart by disrespecting our boss," said the blond man with the tiara. Shoichi couldn't figure out if the man was delusional or really a prince. "After all, he does pay for the shark's swords."

"Who are you calling a shark?!" yelled the silver-haired man. Shoichi stuck his hand in his pocket to retrieve the earplugs he had fiddled with yesterday and brought along in case the boxer came by the shop while Shoichi was still there. Now was as good as any time to test them out. "And I pay for my own swords with the blood of my enemies!"

The ridiculous line nearly had Shoichi choking on air.

"Isn't that the boy that defeated you yesterday?" asked the empty air on the top of the blond man's head and shocking Shoichi's breathing back to normal. Everyone near Shoichi tensed as a small figure appeared on the blond's head. Shoichi's fingers let go of the earplugs and shifted to grab the thumb-sized box hidden in the pocket's secret fold. He watched as the others readied their own weapons. Of the illusionists they had met, Fran was the only one who had not caused them serious trouble (Shamal didn't count since the doctor's mist flames were focused on diseases and not illusions), so illusionists were to be treated with caution.

"Eh!?" screamed the silver-haired man. A sword flashed from the man's side, and he waved it in the air. "That brat did not defeat me! He ran away!" He pointed the sword at Takeshi, and Shoichi realized that the sword was not in the man's hand. It was the man's hand. Shoichi shuffled backwards as the man yelled at Takeshi, "I DEMAND A REMATCH!"

"Oh, you're the idiot that appeared at my door yesterday," said Hana. She didn't seem the least perturbed by the man's sword hand. "I hope you found the Vongola Ninth without having to threaten anyone else."

"Squalo threatened you," said the Ninth. The frantic waving sword came to stand still. The owner's mouth remained wide open as all sound ceased to come out from it. "I was not aware that the Varia had permission to go around threatening other Vongola members."

"That stupid woman tricked me," yelled Squalo. The sword was waving again, this time in Hana's direction. "She never said she was part of Vongola!"

"You never asked," said Hana. Squalo slashed the sword straight at Hana, but it missed her (probably purposefully or at least Shoichi hoped) by inches. A gleam shone on the sword that suddenly appeared in Takeshi's hand and then reflected on Takeshi's father's knife. Hana didn't flinch. "And considering you were the inquiring party, it was your responsibility to identify yourself first."

"Don't give me lip, woman!" yelled Squalo so loudly that Shoichi shifted his hand back to his earplugs. The sword swung more wildly in their direction, but now even Shoichi didn't flinch. Takeshi and Yamamoto-san would more than be able to take care of any stray swings.

"What are you? Some old chauvinistic monkey from the prehistoric era?"

"WHY YOU—"

"Enough," said Nono, giving both Hana and the silver-haired yeller hard looks. "This is not the time to be arguing amongst ourselves. Kurokawa-san, I am sure your unique verbal skills should not be used on those in the same _famiglia_. Or rather those who you do not know well. Superbi, I doubt I have to remind you how your supervisor feels when you attack civilians, especially women. The fact that she is an ally makes it worse."

The silver-haired man grit his teeth together in the most obvious manner possible, and Shoichi lost all fear of him. Somehow big dogs didn't look so scary when they were on their master's leash. Shoichi's stomach suddenly dropped to the floor, and the red-headed inventor resolved to spend less time around Byakuran. The albino was obviously messing with Shoichi's brain functions.

"I hoped to meet with the rest of you, but I trust you can pass along my message to the rest," said the Ninth, and they all nodded in unison. For such a diverse group, the action seemed odd, but then no one could help but nod when such a dark, commanding look was leveled in one's direction. "Good. I hope to see you safely in two weeks. Start your training as quickly as Tsuna has started his."

Shoichi gulped and felt suddenly very glad he had already started his.


	55. The Weight of a Life

Chapter 55: _The Weight of a Life_

Gokudera coughed out a cloud of smoke and growled as he threw the cigarette to the ground. That brand wouldn't work either. The ingredients would react terribly with the current mixtures and also would fail to make perfect circles no matter how he blew the smoke out. For the green mix, a perfect circle was crucial.

Instead of opening the next packet of cigarettes, Gokudera turned it on its side instead and read the ingredients. Another scowl marred his features, and he threw the box hard onto the ground.

"So you finally figured out that those things are going to kill you?" said a very unwelcome voice. "No need to react so violently though."

"Go away, perverted old man," growled Gokudera, taking out another packet of cigarettes. The ingredients of this one didn't match any of the necessary specifications either, and Gokudera nearly threw it onto the ground and stomped on the packet. But he couldn't. Not with Shamal watching him. The perverted doctor would never let Gokudera forget such a childish tantrum. But it wasn't a childish tantrum! He needed some stress relief and fast. He had already decided to quit his former brand of cigarettes in order to acclimate to new ones. But if he didn't find the proper ones soon—

"It's not like I'm here because I want to," said Shamal. "In fact, I'm only here to train my replacement. I highly doubt I will be able to escape from here otherwise. That sky of yours has too strong a pull and entirely too many strong allies already. Best to leave them with a competent physician so they won't come looking for me."

"If you're talking about Shoichi-san, then you're losing it," said Gokudera. "Shoichi-san's an inventor, not a doctor."

"Someone in your little famiglia needs to know how to stitch up wounds, and it's not going to be me because I don't treat men," said Shamal. Gokudera clicked his tongue, but he decided to ignore the perverted doctor. If he wanted to lose an opportunity to be part of the greatest _famiglia_ the world will ever know (because it couldn't be less with Tsuna-sama leading it), then that was the pervert's problem.

"Considering you keep pulling out cigarettes from that bag of yours, I suppose that you aren't actually deciding to extend your already short lifespan by quitting those things."

"As if I would tell you what I'm doing," said Gokudera. He added in a whisper, "It's not like you'd understand it."

"I suppose that Shoichi could be told where you were and given time to come over and brainstorm with you some more," said Shamal lazily. "If I were given a good reason. Right now, he's having some fun with a hundred and so paper planes."

Instantly, Gokudera's eyes snapped onto Shamal's.

"What are you teaching him?" Gokudera growled so low it was almost a hiss.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" asked Shamal with a loose smirk. "But then, I don't take students that can't see what's right in front of them. Unless they're women, in which case I will take them however they come as long as they are beautiful."

Clicking his tongue again irritation, Gokudera turned away from the perverted doctor, dug through the bag, and yanked out another packet of cigarettes. Who cared what the perverted doctor taught Shoichi? Whatever the training dealt with could only help the _famiglia_ later on. Shoichi would be stronger, and that was all that mattered. Not a little boy who had pleaded and pleaded to learn how to hit the paper planes or the man who refused to teach him and then left without looking back. That sort of thing didn't matter. At all.

"Don't worry, Hayato-kun. Your soon-to-be boss can't see it either."

Gokudera faced the perverted doctor without realizing he turned around.

"Don't you dare demean Tsuna-sama," yelled Gokudera, his orbs in hands along with several mini-bombs he had been working on. The pervert doctor would make the perfect practice dummy. "He and I are nothing alike."

"Yes, you are," said Shamal with a self-satisfied smirk. Thinking over what he had just said, Gokudera's face heated as his teeth ground together, and the smirk grew annoyingly large. "Both of you are too blind to what is right in front of you. If you don't take care of that, how do you plan to take care of anything else? How can you protect anyone without first protecting your own life?"

"You're not my father. I don't have to stand here and get lectured," growled Gokudera, but the growl was quieter than before. He clutched his current packet of cigarettes. The perverted doctor was wrong. Gokuder's life wasn't worth the same as Tsuna-sama's.

"Of course I'm not your father," said Shamal. "As beautiful as your mother was, we never met. Besides, if I was, I doubt I'd be here lecturing you."

Teeth clenched hard enough to send uncomfortable shockwaves through Gokudera's skull and body. The perverted doctor was right. The _Uragano_ boss would have given his son a disappointed look and already left.

"Besides," Shamal continued, "I'm not lecturing you. I'm merely asking you a few questions. If you're not going to answer them, you could just say so. No need to get so upset. This is why I prefer ladies. They are always so polite."

"Che, shows what you know," said Gokudera returning to his cigarettes. If the perverted doctor could say that after meeting the stupid wench then he really had lost it.

"I have to return to shaping my replacement," said Shamal as he turned back in the direction he came. "And since I know you're not going to answer my questions, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask one more. What will happen when you so carelessly destroy what you refuse to see? I doubt your precious 'Tsuna-sama' would be too happy with that."

The packet currently in Gokudera's hands crumpled as their owner was suddenly blinded by a flash of lost, dark brown eyes. The same ones that had decorated Tsuna-sama's face as he realized that his sorry excuse of a father was dead. The same ones Tsuna-sama had worn when he had run away. The ones that still stayed in the lingering shadows of the newly cleared eyes Gokudera had glimpsed that morning.

A bag full of cigarettes smashed against the hard ground and proceeded to become shreds of plastic, paper, and spilled tobacco.

* * *

><p>Hana believed she had waited long enough. Tsuna had come back, had rested, and had trained. No matter who had already had a heart-to-heart with the stupid, self-sacrificing idiot, she would have a turn. He was not going to escape her. Hana would make sure this time, absolutely certain that he would not let such reckless, unnecessary thoughts pass his brain. None. This self-destructive behavior would stop. As Hana sat on the counter stool facing the darkening entrance, she mentally went over exactly was unacceptable for any friend of hers to attempt.<p>

And then her phone rang.

"_Moshi_, _moshi_," she said, her eyes still glued to the entrance. Tsuna's master and tutor would have to return Tsuna soon. They couldn't train him in the dark, not after training all day.

"Kurokawa-chan," said the voice at the other end quietly. "I don't know if you remember me from fourth grade—"

"Sakurai-chan. I remember your habit of collecting erasers. I gave you one shaped like a fox for your birthday," said Hana, connecting the voice and tone to the only girl taller than her in fourth grade. "You moved to Tokyo, didn't you?"

"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply. "You remembered! I still have my Karuma—"

"I'm sorry, but I am waiting for someone. So if you could tell me why you called, I will try to call you back as soon as I can to catch up," said Hana. She did genuinely want to know what happened to the sweet if sometimes strange girl, but Hana had an idiot to educate. And she had had enough strangeness for one day.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting something. But then Kanade said that you were wondering about what might have happened to a Nakimori Nagi," continued Sakurai. Hana would have straightened if it was physically possible. The grip on her phone turned her knuckles white.

"I was," said Hana, not exactly relieved to hear that her attempts to gain information had been successful. Considering the time of night, Hana highly doubted that the situation was as benign as she had hoped.

"I don't know how to tell you this. It happened so sudden, and everyone in school is talking about it. We can't believe that something so terrible could happen to one of our own, no matter how strange she was. And then her parents' reactions, especially her mother's—"

"What happened?" Hana asked. Or she tried to. The words came out too sharp to be anything but a command.

"She was run over by a car," said Sakurai, her voice wavering but picking up strength as she continued. "Her organs were destroyed, or that's what one of the girls whose father works at the hospital they're keeping her in said. Another of the girls said that she needs at least four transplants. The doctors asked her mother is she would at least donate a kidney, since that would be at least one less problem, but she refused. From what I heard, other than paying for the machines that are barely keeping her alive, her parents are having nothing to do with her."

The disgust bubbling in her stomach curled and pushed against her esophagus insisting to be let out as a venomous tirade. But Hana reined it in. This girl, for all her apparently gossiping ways, was not at fault. And Sakurai had proven herself useful. Hana knew better than to burn bridges she might need later, even without the stupid three-hour phone call she had received that afternoon beginning to instruct her on how to manage a _famiglia_ from behind the scenes.

"Thanks for calling me. I will try to call you tomorrow or Saturday in order to hear more about your life in Tokyo," said Hana in a tone she hoped was friendly and not filled with venomous undertones.

"Only if you tell me what is going on in Namimori. Even a small town like that has got to have changed over the years. Do you still think all the boys are monkeys?"

"No, I've met some that have changed my mind." Even when they act worse than monkeys and ran away leaving everyone nearly drowning in worry.

"Really? You have to tell me about these not-monkey boys. Are they cute?"

"We'll see," said Hana, her word becoming a clipped. An old image of Tsuna with a puff of yellow in his hair popped across her mind. This was not the time for that. Pressing the button harder than necessary, Hana disconnected the call. Immediately, she scrolled down her contact list, picked a rarely used phone, and pressed call. She stood up and briskly made her way to the entrance.

The ringing in her ears nearly distracted her enough from the slumped, short figure entering the shop. Exhausted brown eyes met her own, and she gave them a good glare. After a flinch, the mouth under the eyes started to open, but Hana cut the cowardly idiot off.

"You are forgiven, but if you do it again, I will find some way for Irie-kun to invent a tracker to put on you. I have to go take care of something, so consider your lecture postponed."

The beaten down expression briefly flicked into a mix of surprise and maybe disappointment. Again, this was not the time. She brushed past him, but a pressure and yank on her wrist stopped her.

"Hana-chan, I'm—"

"Didn't I already say your lecture is postponed?" snapped Hana. She had all of three more rings before the voice on the other end answered. The cringe and loosening of the fingers on her wrist softened the firm lines on her face. She quickly hardened them again, though she couldn't completely firm the undertone of her next few words. "Postponed does not mean canceled. I will get back to reminding you why running away from your friends is a very bad idea."

A flutter of relief passed across Tsuna's face, down through their connected hands, and into her chest where it tickled her heart. Mentally lecturing herself, she slipped out of the worn-out boy's grip and raced out the door. There was no time to waste, and certainly no reason for such ridiculousness.

"Hana, I wasn't expecting you to call. Is there trouble at your friend's house? Are you going to need to stay there?"

"No, mother. I simply wanted to request that we move up the family vacation," Hana said, keeping to formal language. Her parents would appreciate the effort. "There's something I would like to do in Tokyo…"

* * *

><p>The lost look on Tsuna's face was broken by a quick kick to the boy's head. Tsuna's face quickly met with the floor, and Tsuna found himself sympathizing with every complaint and whine Tama-kun had ever muttered, declared, or screamed about Reborn. A groan escaped Tsuna as he realized that many of those comments could now be applied to his usually kind <em>Shishō<em>. Fon had been tough on his before, but today….today, Tsuna didn't know which of his tutors was worse. Though the one currently digging his heel into Tsuna's head likely held the advantage.

"A boss should never allow a subordinate to brush him off like that," said Reborn, and Tsuna couldn't dredge up the energy to argue that Hana was a friend and that thinking of her as only a subordinate would never work. Hana wouldn't let anyone treat her like that.

"Hana-chan did seem to be in a hurry," said Fon, almost sounding like he was coming to Tsuna's defense. Tsuna's mouth would have curved into a smile at his _Shishō_'s returning kind demeanor if he had had any energy left or if Tsuna truly believed that his _Shishō _had forgiven him yet. But Tsuna knew (with his hyper intuition as Reborn had been teaching him to call it) that Fon had not completely worked out his anger and frustration with Tsuna's disappearing act. Or his worry.

Another kick unbelievably sent Tsuna flying through the air and back onto his feet. His legs could barely keep from collapsing under him. Over 1,500 practice _Kaze Ryu_ forms along with several hundred (it's hard to keep track when someone is gunning for your head) laps could wear out even the strongest legs. And that was only the morning workout (read torture session). Tsuna currently had no idea what a part of your body felt like when it wasn't screaming in pain.

"What are you waiting for, Dame-Tsuna? Go after her," said Reborn. Tsuna sent a wide-eyed look at his tutor that was partially widened with surprise that he had the energy to throw even a look at anyone at the moment. Considering that the current pain would only feel ten times worse in the morning, Tsuna would almost prefer to keep the sun from ever rising. How did his tutor think Tsuna had any energy to chase anyone? "A boss does not let his subordinates run around wherever they want without checking with their boss first."

Tsuna wanted to protest that when said boss could barely put one foot in front of the other, he very much doubted than any boss would chase their subordinate or anyone. Two reasons stopped him. One, Reborn was angry enough to put a bullet in his student's brain, and Tsuna was not suicidal whatever certain members of his _famiglia_ thought. Two, his hyper intuition (if Reborn hadn't been drilling the term nearly literally in his head via a barrage of bullets, Tsuna would most definitely not use it) burned under his skin. He had to go after Hana.

"A boss can also send someone else after the subordinate," said Fon, and hope fanned inside Tsuna's chest. Maybe Fon wasn't as angry as Tsuna thought.

"Hmph," snorted Reborn in obvious disproval. "He can."

Quickly going through his mental list of friends (subordinates sounded wrong – Tsuna didn't want subordinates, he wanted friends), Tsuna headed over to the phone Yamamoto-san kept behind the counter. No one else was in the sushi bar, but Tsuna guessed that they were all preparing for whatever Nono had planned. Hopefully his teachers would lessen his training (aka torture or personal hell) so that he could contact Gokudera to get the details. Maybe he would see Takeshi before going to bed and could get a brief run-through. Takeshi wasn't as good at details as Gokudera, but Takeshi could at least give Tsuna the basics. Besides, Tsuna hadn't really had a chance to talk to the other boy since—

Putting aside the embarrassing (heart-warming, relieving) memory, Tsuna dialed the number he never learned but somehow knew. It was whispered from under the sleeve of his right shoulder.

"Kawahira's Antiques. How may we help you?" asked an extremely chipper voice that Tsuna could almost place, but the recognition kept slipping away from him. His exhaustion and worry overruled curiosity, and so Tsuna ignored the thought for now.

"Is Lancia-san there?" asked Tsuna.

"Yep!" chirped the voice followed by an odd laugh.

"Could I talk to him?" asked Tsuna after another moment of silence.

"Oh. Do you want me to get him?" asked the voice, and Tsuna reminded himself that banging his head against the counter would only result in a sorer head later and Reborn had done it enough damage.

"Yes," sighed Tsuna. A series of unidentifiable noises followed (or rather Tsuna didn't want to exert the energy needed to figure them out), and then a recognizable voice came across the line.

"Tsunayoshi."

"Lancia-san, do you mind going over to check on Hana?"

"If you want me to check on Kurokawa-san, I will go check on her," said Lancia in a way that sounded almost like Gokudera, and Tsuna's insides squeezed and shook. Tsuna took a breath to settle his trembling stomach and focused on Lancia's next question. "Where does she live?"

* * *

><p>The house did not call attention to itself unlike the Sawada house. Not that the Sawada house had any truly memorable markers, but something about the house, or more likely the people inside it, called out for passersby to take another look. Takesushi had that same feel, but this house…it felt utterly ordinary. The house wasn't even remarkable in its ordinariness. It simply was.<p>

Lancia checked the gun in his left pocket and the thin but strong chain coiled in his right. The chain was a poor substitute for his Steel Serpent Ball but he wasn't in a position to be choosy. The idea of using a chain like _they_ did didn't settle well with Lancia, but he highly doubted that the Vindice would ever return his weapon to him. And while his strength was bare fist fighting, he needed something for attacking over long distances. Sooner or later, Lancia would have to settle for a new weapon, but he had to deal with his mission first. This mission was his first true one from Tsunayoshi, and he would not let the young soon-to-be-boss down.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Kurokawa girl, irritation wrinkling her forehead. Honestly, Lancia did not understand Tsunayoshi's attraction to this girl, but he supposed every man had his type. She was certainly a capable woman when the situation needed her to be.

"Tsunayoshi asked me to check in on you," answered Lancia. Honesty appeared to be the best policy with this girl-near-woman.

"I told him his lecture was postponed, but if he wants it that badly, I can make some time before I go," said Kurokawa. Tsunayoshi had said nothing about the girl travelling anywhere, but as he peered around her and into the house, Lancia noticed several suitcases set near the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Lancia in as respectful tones as possible. The girl had not shown herself to be someone who ran away or left things half done during a crisis. And with the two weeks slowly morphing into one, now was hardly the time for a pleasure trip.

"Not that it is any of your business—"

"It is," said Lancia, tamping down as much as possible the frustration that continued to crop up in dealing with these young, developing Mafiosos. Draghi had had a long history, and despite the various new arrivals in the form of the boss's strays, the _famiglia_ had been run with experience and efficiency. These children were all too often making decisions from a civilian viewpoint instead of a mafia one. "Tsunayoshi has trusted me with your safety, and I will make sure that nothing threatens it. Travel is something that should be attempted with great caution. One does not know when an attack can occur."

"I doubt anyone will attack me. When Tsuna officially becomes this Vongola Decimo, then maybe we'll have to worry about that—"

"Do not underestimate the mafia intelligence," said Lancia before he could stop himself. He knew he should be as respectful as he could of the boss's woman at all times, but this one was going to get herself killed. And Tsunayoshi could not afford another death tearing into his heart. The soft, caring organ would never beat properly ever again.

The Kurokawa girl gave Lancia an appraising glance with crossed arms. Then she nodded.

"Fine," she said. "My family is going to take a trip to Tokyo so that I can take care of a problem there."

Lancia said nothing. He waited and didn't move. The girl frowned but uncrossed her arms and let the door open further.

"A girl that is close to Tsuna's heart is in very real danger of dying," said the Kurokawa girl. "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen."

A surge of respect flowed through Lancia for this girl, this woman. Most boss' wives were fiercely jealous of any woman who got near their husbands. To find a woman who was both accepting and protective of the other females in her boss' _famiglia_ was a strange and wonderful success. Her acceptance was probably aided by the fact that Tsunayoshi would be unlikely to take any of the other females as mistresses, but even then the feat was still impressive.

"Who is your escort?" asked Lancia, half-expecting the answer.

"Escort?" the girl near snorted. "My parents are going with me. I think that's enough 'escorts' for now."

"So if an enemy _famiglia_ were to attack you in order to gain some leverage over the newest and only viable heir to the largest and most powerful _famiglia_, your parents would be able to defend you," said Lancia, using the girl's own speaking style against her. The technique had the right effect as the girl scowled and didn't argue the point. Lancia took the opportunity to go above and beyond what Tsunayoshi had asked. "I will escort you to Tokyo and back."

"Fine," said the girl irritably. "I assume you'll need a suitcase."

"No," said Lancia. "The young Shoichi has been experimenting further with his boxes and gave me one of the older models to store my belongings. I am prepared to go at any moment."

The Kurokawa girl gave him another examining look.

"Just when I think one of you monkeys is somewhat normal," she muttered. Her dark brown eyes attempted to pin him under her gaze, but for all her effort, the girl was still too young and inexperienced to affect Lancia. "I don't have to worry about you developing stalkerish tendencies like a certain idiot monkey, do I?"

"The young Gokudera has a protective passion that is commendable," answered Lancia keeping his tone even. "I admit he is a bit too…over passionate at times. However every good Mafioso should be prepared for emergency, especially when they are not stationed in a home base."

"I see," said the Kurokawa girl in a way that implied that she really did. "In that case, you are more than welcome to come with us."

"I do have one more suggestion," said Lancia, sticking his hands in his pockets. He didn't particularly like the idea, but he couldn't dismiss using such a valuable resource.

"And that is?" said the girl, the irritation returning and tensing her voice.

"We should bring along the young Shoichi and his teacher," said Lancia. "If the person in danger of dying truly is female, even he can have no protest."


	56. Discomforting

Chapter 56: _Discomforting_

"He has to choose them soon," said Fon as his student hung from the fifty foot precipice by the tips of his fingers. Fon vaguely noted that Tsuna wasn't making proper use of his legs and putting extra unnecessary pressure on his arms which were currently fully extended instead of at a proper 45 degree angle.

"Hmph. If Iemitsu was still alive, he would insist on choosing them for Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, tossing a boulder twice his size down the precipice and straight for their student. Tsuna let out a high-pitched yell and barely managed to release one of his hands and swing back from the other to avoid the falling boulder. He then used the momentum from the swing to propel himself higher and grab onto a higher perch. Ah, and there was the proper 45 degree positioning of the boy's arms.

"But he isn't," said Fon. He ignored the warring feelings of relief and annoyance. Neither would be appropriate to feel over his student's father's death. "Since Tsuna is the one that will need to rely on these people with his life and the lives of those around him, he should be the one to choose."

"If Dame-Tsuna was even a little less far along in his growth, I would choose them for him myself," said Reborn. Another boulder tossed down the cliff, another skillful but still clumsy dodge by their student. "But he is doing decently well. His promise to your student should help him see the right choices."

"Yes, it should," said Fon with a great amount of pride in the three words. Both of his students were coming along splendidly. The snort from his fellow arcobaleno showed that he had heard the unsaid boast.

"There is still the problem of making him choose," said Reborn. This time he kicked the boulder in the air and proceeded to punch it into rather large pieces. Several high-pitched cries came from further and further down the precipice, since the multiple projectiles were forcing Tsuna to dodge downward instead of upwards as he continued to lose his grip. "If it were up to him alone, he would not choose them. He would not want them to get hurt."

"That is true," said Fon. Their student had returned to the halfway point in the middle of the cliff. His arms were back to their fully extended position. The boy stayed in place for a good moment before slowly, painfully reaching back upwards. "He also knows very little about flames, and those are crucial in choosing the proper person to go with each ring."

"As soon as he reaches the top of the cliff, it will be lecture time," said Reborn overly gleefully. Fon could already see the hitman coming up with ways to keep their no-doubt exhausted student's flagging attention. Due to the importance of the information, Fon was not inclined to curve his colleague's tendency. If their student learned to fear them further, hopefully he would think twice before running from their protection.

The thought spurred Fon to step in the way of Reborn's next barrage (several exploding bombs the hitman had brought with him). Reborn send the martial artist a warning look, but Fon gazed at him calmly and took a couple of the explosives.

"If I may," said Fon with a slight bow. Reborn smirked.

"If you wanted to have a turn, you should have just asked," said the hitman. Without another word, both arcobaleno spun in unison and threw the bombs towards their climbing student. Poor Tsuna stood no chance against the barrage and fell straight back to the bottom, but at least he managed to catch himself and so the fall was a lot less hard than it could have been. Fon was glad to see that their student was continuing to progress so well.

* * *

><p>Sitting in a booth, Basil mentally laid out the shop's floor plan. Once he took stock of the entrances and exits, Basil leaned back against the booth's back and stared at the two people behind the sushi counter. The man had to be Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, who according to the information that Oregano had gathered was formerly known as Akai Shigure and one of the best swordsmen in the word. The other had to be the cute wife that Basil's master went on and on about. She was beautiful, especially with the smile she was giving the former Akai Shigure. Basil wondered how she could smile like that with his master gone.<p>

"How can I help you?" asked a grinning teen with a shinai resting on his shoulder. All of Basil's instincts itched for Basil to reach into his jacket and whip out his Metal Edge, but the dirty blond didn't. Japanese were, according to Basil's master, easily offended. They had various traditions and formalities that were expected to be done. Basil had worked hard to learn all the formalities and careful language just like Master had taught.

"Thou couldest tell me where I might find Sawada-dono," said Basil with an inclining bob of a bow.

"Sawada-dono? Oh, you mean Tsuna? He's with his teachers," said the grinning teen. "He'll probably come in looking like a zombie soon."

Basil stared at the strange grinning teen that was emitting enough danger to have Basil's fingers wrpped around the handle of his Metal Edge. With hesitation, Basil untangled his fingers from the handle and put his hand back on the table to focus on the younger teen.

"Might I speak to him when he returneth?" asked Basil as politely as possible. He didn't want to anger the younger teen. Even with the persistent urge to wield his Metal Edge in the younger teen's direction, Basil didn't think the grinning teen was angry. Just cautious. That caution made him a dangerous enemy and a reliable ally.

"I don't know if Tsuna will be able to talk, but you can try," said the grinning teen. Basil's fingers twitched but he kept them on the table. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I apologize, but I canst tell thou," said Basil. "The message is for Sawada-dono solely."

"Then maybe you should leave and come back later," said the grinning teen. "Dad said that the tables need to be for customers only."

"I wilst order victuals," said Basil reaching for a menu.

"I have to warn you, it might upset your stomach," said the grinning teen. "People who aren't used to eating sushi might get sick."

As Basil had not heard from Master anything about sushi being hard on the stomach and had a lot of experience with threats, the older teen decided not to order anything. Instead, Basil decided that perhaps he should attempt bluntness with this grinning teen. The strange younger teen didn't fit the normal Japanese mold, so maybe he wouldn't mind forgetting some of the overly polite rules.

"Who art thou to Sawada-dono?" asked Basil despite the rudeness that came of asking that of a near stranger such a question.

"Who am I to Tsuna? He's my best friend," said the grinning teen.

"I do not think that I have made myself sufficiently understood. I wast not asking what relationship thou hast to Sawada-dono," said Basil. The grinning teen's gaze morphed from sharp to questioning. "Perhaps a better question is what thou doest for Sawada-dono?"

"You want to know what I do for Tsuna?" asked the grinning teen who was strangely no longer grinning. Basil nodded, and the grin returned. "I'm his best friend and his sword."

"His sword?" asked Basil.

"Hai. I cut down anyone or anything that would hurt Tsuna or any of Tsuna's family," said the grinning teen. The grin widened enough that the teen's eyes closed. "But I don't think Tsuna knows that."

"Knows what?" asked the man who used to be behind the counter. Basil tensed further under the scrutiny of the Akai Shigure.

"Tsuna doesn't know that I'm his sword," said the grinning teen, and Basil suddenly realized he had been rude enough to never ask his name or give his own in return.

"Ah, our Tsuna can be a bit dense sometimes," said the Akai Shigure. "And who is this?"

"Hm…I don't know," said the grinning teen and scratching the back of his head. "But he came to see Tsuna."

"Really? What for?"

"He won't tell me."

Two pairs of sharp eyes pinned Basil, and Basil's hand gripped his Metal Edge reflexively. He kept his hand under his jacket because pulling out his weapon would be seen as an act of aggression and he could not pull his hand away from the weapon's handle. Basil did not doubt that any aggressive action would end with Basil in a fight for his life.

"So first things first, we should introduce ourselves," said the Akai Shigure, the grin decorating his face not tempering the sharpness of his eyes. "I am Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, and this is my son Takeshi."

"Basil Delphini. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Basil. He pulled his hand out of his jacket slowly enough to hide his weapon and stood to execute an appropriately low bow.

"Someone has taught you some very good manners," said the Akai Shigure. "And some very old Japanese. Was it someone back in Italy?"

"No, Master did teach me," said Basil, making sure to keep his Metal Edge at an angle where it wouldn't be seen.

"So your master isn't Italian?"

"No. He wast Japanese," answered Basil.

"I see," said the Akai Shigure. "Whoever he is must not have cared for you much."

"Thou knowest nothing!" cried Basil. His hand itched to swing his weapon or punch the man's face. "Master wast a great man! My master made certain that I learned what wast necessary for our work and more. Even when I wast deemed a lost cause by those of our company, Master called me his apprentice and taught me himself! He didest not see me as a failure but as a potential asset to the company."

"By company you mean CEDEF," said the Akai Shigure, and Basil realized exactly how much he had given away. Tumeric had warned him several times to watch his words when speaking to people outside the CEDEF or Vongola. Basil's master had usually covered for Basil's occasional lapses. His emotionality had been the main reason that many had thought him unsuited for the CEDEF.

"CEDEF? What's that?" asked the grinning teen. Yamamoto Takeshi. His name was Yamamoto Takeshi. Basil had to remember that. An oddly shaped wooden sword now tapped Yamamoto Takeshi's shoulder, and sharp hazel eyes stayed focused on Basil's newly revealed weapon. Basil inwardly cursed his recklessness.

"The organization that Tsuna's father was in charge of," answered the Akai Shigure, and Basil could not believe he had forgotten that this man knew plenty of the mafia. He truly was a failure. "I suppose you are here to give Tsuna the half-rings."

"How didst thou know about the half-rings?" asked Basil, clutching the bag on his free shoulder.

"Don't worry. I don't plan to stop you or take them," said the Akai Shigure. "The Ninth was kind enough to explain that someone would be sent over to deliver them. I didn't expect the former CEDEF leader's apprentice."

"Oh, he was Tsuna's dad's student like Tsuna is Fon and the kid's student," said Yamamoto Takeshi. The sword had not stopped tapping Yamamoto Takeshi's shoulder. "I didn't know Tsuna's dad took students."

"He did," said the Akai Shigure. "Are you staying until the funeral?"

"I must return once I have given the half-rings to Sawada-dono," said Basil. Oregano had made sure that Basil understood that the CEDEF had to attend the funeral as a group. Basil knew that the others wanted to make sure he didn't make an unnecessary emotional display.

"I'm afraid Tsuna might have something to say about that," said the Akai Shigure. "Especially if you put on that face. Tsuna has a habit of taking in strays."

Before Basil could reply, the female that was behind the counter called for the Akai Shigure and the man excused himself and returned to behind the counter. Yamamoto Takeshi also said he had to return to training (the sword was still tapping) and left. Basil stayed at his table, but he didn't order anything. After all, Basil still had to wait for the boss the two strange Yamamotos answered to.

* * *

><p>Hana decided that Lancia was not a monkey. He was certainly male, but she could tell that he was more mature than the males she was used to, even Tsuna and Takeshi. So far, the man had helped her scout the various hospitals in the area. Tokyo was much larger than she remembered from her parents last visit. Her aunt and uncle had welcomed her and her parents despite their visit being moved up almost three weeks. Lancia had been introduced to her family as a relative of a friend who was visiting Japan and tagging along with Hana to see the famous capitol, Tokyo. The man had found himself a hotel room so that no one would ask awkward questions.<p>

As for the doctor, the less said the better. Hana hoped the man did actually manage to convince Irie to learn medicine. Hana could live her whole life without seeing that man again, but she doubted she would be granted that choice. Irie was an inventor, not a doctor, and considering all the scrapes their group had already gotten into, they would indeed need a doctor fairly consistently. Hana could only hope they would find a better one soon.

"This is the fifth hospital," said Hana with a sigh as her and Lancia stood in front of Ryozaku hospital. "At this rate, I may just have to call Sakurai and find out if she actually knows what hospital Nakimori is in."

"Why haven't you called her?" asked Lancia, his eyes scanning every inch of the street.

"Because I don't feel like explaining to her why I need directions," said Hana. She took out her map and placed a check next to Ryozaku Hospital. Best to mark all the places they had gone so that they didn't revisit any. "I also don't want any of her sort to know I'm in Tokyo. Not until we have this taken care of."

No response came, so Hana figured that the man understood what she meant. She walked into the hospital with her self-appointed shadow behind her.

"Good morning. How may I help you?" asked the nurse behind the desk. Her smile and tone was plastic, but Hana wasn't expecting anything less. The last four had been exactly the same, and this one in particular looked like she was near the end of her shift and exhausted.

"I'm here to see a Nakimori Nagi. I unfortunately do not know her room, though I do believe she is probably in the ICU," said Hana. Straight and to the point worked best in this situation.

"Nakimori Nagi?" asked the nurse. She didn't even glance at her computer. "She hasn't had any visitors since her mother and stepfather came when she was admitted more than a week ago. May I ask who you are?"

"A friend who lives too far away to have visited before now," said Hana. "My friends and I only found out recently that she was injured. For the record, my name is Kurokawa Hana and this is Conti Lancia."

"Oh, I see," said the nurse. "I'm sorry if my question sounded rude. I am required to ask visitors to identify themselves, and several of us nurses have a soft spot for that girl. She is in such a delicate state, but nothing can be done until some organs become available. The machines are barely keeping her alive. It's nice to see that someone outside of the hospital cares about her."

"I'm sure it is," said Hana. "In fact, I am here to take over the medical concerns for her parents."

"What?" said the nurse, surprise erasing the exhaustion from her face.

"Like I said, I am here to take over the medical concerns. Forms and such," said Hana. "So if I can see her records so that I can have a better grasp of the situation, I would appreciate it."

"But her parents never—I mean do you have the proper paperwork for—Are you their lawyer?" asked the nurse, and Hana gave her a slight amused smile. Despite her mature aura, no one could mistake her for a lawyer, not when she was obviously middle-school age. Apparently this nurse had an overactive imagination.

"Like I already said, I'm a friend," said Hana. "And her parents have decided that I can take it from here. If you need official papers or something, take it up with them. In the meantime, it would probably be best for you to hand over the current files so that I can catch up."

"But you need official consent—"

"No, she doesn't," said Lancia, stepping away from the doorway he had been standing in. "Nagi is family."

"But she just said—"

"She misspoke. She doesn't like to explain exactly how they are related, but I can assure you they are family. I would hand her the documents unless you wish for the girl in question to lay in the ICU until her body gives out under the synthetic power of the machines," said Lancia smoothly. He had leaned across the desk in a way that highlighted both his height and scars. Despite her normal dislike for bullying, Hana approved of her companion's actions. The nurse cowered under the man's presence.

"Bu-bu-"

"Let's just go," said Hana with a casual wave of her hand, adjusting to the Italian man's improvisation. "We'll come back with a couple of lawyers to explain the situation. You took note of her name, right?"

"Higeki Alisu," said Lancia, and Hana nodded. She turned around and headed for the door. She assumed more than knew that Lancia was following right behind her.

"W-wait!" cried the nurse. "Come back! I'll give you the file!"

Hana let a small smile cross her face before turning around and staring at the nurse flatly. The woman was typing madly on her computer, and Hana slowly walked back to the desk. The woman's overactive imagination had worked in their favor. Soon, the top of the desk was filled with various papers. Hana casually took them and placed them in the bag she had brought.

"I also need some transfer forms," said Hana bluntly.

"Transfer forms?" asked the nurse.

"Yes," said Hana. Perhaps their inability to find a hospital earlier would work to their benefit. Late hours meant that fewer supervisors were around to give nurses back up in these situations. Hana honestly did not want to cause problems for the nurse later, but this was important. She had to get Nakimori proper treatment and fast given what the nurse had let slip.

"But why would yo—"

"I want our personal doctor assigned to her case. He's come all the way from Europe with his personal assistant for this matter, so I would like to transfer her to his care as quickly as possible," said Hana.

"But I can't do that without my supervisor's permission," said the nurse.

"And you can give us copies of official hospital files without said supervisor's permission?" asked Hana, giving the papers a demonstrative wave. The nurse paled.

"Our doctor is already on his way," said Lancia. Hana gave him a questioning glance, but it eased into one of comprehension upon seeing the man pocketing a cell phone. "If you give her the transfer forms, we will make sure that no one learns of this transaction."

The nurse's pale face gained a green tinge, but she fished out the proper forms. Reading them over, Hana grew more grateful that both her parents were lawyers. She filled in the appropriate places and with great care copied a few signature from the copied hospital files. The illegality of what she was doing caused her to glance at the security camera in one of the reception's upper corners.

"Irie lent me something interesting," said Lancia quietly and without sounding overly secretive. "They won't show anything but snow until we leave."

Hana gave a nod of understanding even as the nurse regained color long enough to look completely baffled. Several pages pushed in front of her nose wiped the baffled look off the nurse's face and replaced it with one of surprise as she flipped through the properly filled out forms.

"Thank you for your help," said Hana. "We will head to the ICU now. When the doctor gets here, let him in. He'll be the lecher that tries to hit on you. Don't worry, his personal assistant will manage to stop him if the guy knows what's best for him."

Without another glance at the pitifully muddled nurse, Hana strode towards the ICU. If anyone tried to stop her, the nurse at reception would not be the only muddled one.

* * *

><p>In the three days Shamal had been supervising Irie, the doctor had regretted the decision to take on a male student several times. None more so than when said male student dragged him from the adorably flustered nurse in reception. To be honest, Shamal had been unsurprised to hear that the Kurokawa girl and the strongest man in Italy had managed to transfer (at least on paper) this Nakimori Nagi to his care and paved the way for him to start her treatment immediately. Neither of those two were the sort to let anything stop them once they had decided to do something. No one in the elder Sawada's group was. Including, to Shamal's frustration, Irie Shoichi.<p>

"Doctor Shamal, Nakimori must need you to assess her condition as soon as possible, or Hana-san wouldn't have gone through the trouble to get her transferred into your care," said Irie, nearly shoving the doctor towards the ICU. More than likely, the redhead was referring to the fact that the adorably mature Kurokawa girl had done so illegally. She would have gone through the proper channels if Shamal's newest patient wasn't in a life threatening condition.

"Fine, fine," said Shamal with a scowl. He hated when men touched him. Using the momentum Irie had "given" him, Shamal stepped out of Irie's next push and smirked as the kid fell flat of his face. He was starting to understand Reborn's interest in teaching. Watching the kid make a fool of himself was entertaining. The kid was lucky that he had invented some fairly unbreakable glasses given how often Irie fell over his own two feet.

"Ow," the kid muttered as he struggled to get himself upright. The kid was pathetic. Seriously, all Shamal had had the kid do the last few days was run a few hundred laps, then dodge a few thousand (he had used most of his reserves) of his mosquitos, and experiment with the boy's newest invention and a few hundred thousand paper airplanes. And today he had even gone through the trouble of incorporating running into the "running around" and looking for the right hospital. Shamal had thought the training clever since the boy had to dodge both his mosquitos and the pedestrians in the overcrowded sidewalks in Tokyo. The kid didn't complain, but he didn't thank Shamal for the effort either. Not that Shamal wanted to be thanked by a male anyway.

"What is taking you guys so long?" asked a very familiar voice that sounded like a harp from heaven in Shamal's ears.

"We had to get through traffic," said Shamal in his most enticing manner. "I would never have wanted to be late for our date, sweetheart."

"Call me sweetheart again and I'll see if the idiot monkey can lend me one of his newest explosives to try out on you," said the Kurokawa girl in a beautifully female rough tone. Tsundure girls were some of the best. Too bad this one seemed to have her heart of ice stolen by a certain Vongola heir. Not that Reborn and Fon's brat knew what he had.

"Whatever you say, honey," said Shamal overly sweetly. "Do I get a kiss for rushing over here?"

"Only if I can get death to give it," said Hana flatly.

"Or a dementor," mumbled Irie almost inaudibly. Shamal glared at the kid who instantly stiffened.

"Bring me the chart at the end of the girl's bed," said Shamal, jerking his head towards the ICU door. "And don't get bitten."

A yelp and some hurried footsteps later, Shamal was alone with the Tsundure honey. Or almost. Conti Lancia leaned against the door to the ICU and surveyed the situation in the hallway with a dangerous protectiveness. That one knew how to follow order too well.

"Both her kidneys are damaged, her gallbladder was punctured, and her liver is barely functioning," the Kurokawa girl stated preemptively. These kids wouldn't even let Shamal ask a question. Why was he still dealing with them? Oh right, several thousand women were still after his head overseas and the Uragano brat's relatively good health was a medical marvel that needs to be observed. The Kurokawa girl continued. "Despite the aid of a dialysis machine, her liver is unlikely to last much longer. They managed to suture her gallbladder closed and fix most of the damage done by the leakage, but her intestines are never going to be the same again. Her heart is predicted to give out under the strain. The machines they have her on and the nutrients they are giving her by IV aren't enough to do more than keep her from dying. If she doesn't get at least two organ transplants, one kidney and one liver, she will not survive past the end of the week."

"Maa, you sure want me to work me hard for that kiss," said Shamal before straightening his slouch and grabbing and focusing on the clipboard that Irie had retrieved. The chart's data agreed with everything the Kurokawa girl had said (her information skills would be fearsome when Ganauche got a hold of her).

"Can you help her?" asked Irie, and Shamal's professional pride overcame his annoyance at the question. The best way to silence idiots who say something can't be done was to go out and do it.

"Listen closely, because this case will touch upon several key organs and dealing with the aftermath of their near destruction. Each organ is a special case, and you cannot treat them all the same though some treatments are universal. The universal ones tend to be no better than band-aids, so you shouldn't rely on them," Shamal said as he strode into the ICU. As expected, Irie followed him automatically if also with a ridiculous confused expression. Shamal snapped the clipboard back in place and headed towards the head of the girl's bed. "First thing we need to do is stabilize her condition so that we can unplug the machines."

"You can't just do that!" cried a nurse (male unfortunately, unlike the one at reception), but Conti Lancia didn't waste time in stopping the nurse and pushing the small Japanese man away from Nakimori Nagi's bed. If Shamal didn't have such a large job ahead of him, he would have cast a subtle illusion around them to keep the nurses and others from noticing anything was wrong, but he had to conserve his strength. He hadn't worked on a case this bad in ages.

"W-wait a minute! What do you mean 'we'? I don't know anything about medicine, and I—I—" A heave surging up from the boy's sensitive stomach nearly tuned the protest into projected vomit. Luckily, trident mosquito number 543 connected with the boy's neck in time, and the half-digested food and gastric acid slid back down Irie's throat. Shamal mentally cursed the moment of weakness (the image of a much younger Shamal overlapping with one of a downcast redhead) that lead to him taking on a male student, especially one that suffered from constant gastric disturbances.

"If you dare to pass out, this girl will die," said Shamal. He barely kept his teeth from gritting together at the words. "For all you have had fun playing with flames, you haven't realized how fortunate you are to have such a useful one. For those who truly know about these flames, yours are called Sun flames. They have a special ability that serves the medical profession well. They have an activation effect that can speed and guide healing, not just make inanimate objects and plants able to move and attack. You're still a completely _idiota_ when it comes to using them with precision, but unfortunately it's either you or this girl dies. So you either follow my instructions to the letter or you watch helplessly as a girl withers away in front of your eyes as I try to save her alone."

Green eyes had stretched to barely possible proportions, but they held a new determined (and more importantly resolved) glint.

"What do you want me to do, _sensei_?"


	57. Worrisome Work

A/N: Merry Christmas! Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season.

* * *

><p>Chapter 57: Worrisome Work<p>

Three hours passed in a blur for Shoichi. He concentrated his full attention on using his flame in exactly the way the doctor described. Despite what Shoichi had initially thought upon the doctor's explanation , Shamal did not have a sun flame. He had something that he briefly described as a mist flame (Shoichi vaguely remembered hearing something about mist back on the boat), and while sun flames were apparently very useful in the actual healing part, the mist flames managed to simulate the structure of the organs in an intricate way that kept them working as Shoichi's sun flames forced them to heal. Kind of like when someone but a broken arm in a cast so that it could heal properly, Shoichi guessed. He had pretty much decided to take the doctor's offer to teach him medicine (or rather give in to the man's constant whines that his student spend more time learning medicine and less time inventing).

And then the girl's kidneys ceased working. At the time, Shamal had shifted their attention from the small intestine to the large one, still trying to undo the damage the spilled bile had caused. A second before the corresponding monitor screeched an alarm, Shamal had removed his flames from the outer large intestine and their other various places to engulf the kidneys. A loud curse passed the doctor's lips.

"Finish the intestines, _idiota_!" Shamal yelled, and Shoichi stopped gaping and recovered his concentration. The cells which his flames had been helping divide and mold back into tissue split at a speed Shoichi hadn't thought possible as he pushed his flames back into them. He had to pull back the power because the cells were multiplying at too fast a rate and what little Shoichi remembered from his biology classes warned him that such quick division was not a good thing. "Reign your flame in! You are going to end up giving her cancer!"

Shoichi gulped and ignored the hot pain searing through his stomach. Instead he focused it straight onto redirecting and reshaping the large intestine into looking like it did a minute ago. Sweat trickled down his neck and face, but he inwardly stoked the flame to a carefully controlled brightness. He used his near eidetic memory (which he had thought was photographic until he met Gokudera) to make sure the intestines did not overgrow their boundaries. Comparing the organs to plants had been helping until this point when Shoichi had lost the blueprints of Shamal's mist flames. Now, he felt like the analogy was ridiculous. Organs were not like plants at all. Organs were not highly based on water and did not produce their own energy. Shoichi preferred plants.

"If you lose your focus one more time, you will find yourself unable to pull yourself away from the nearest toilet for an entire week."

The threat aided Shoichi's wandering focus, and in another blur of time, the flickering yellow flames had woven the last large intestine cells into tissues.

"We are lucky that these are young cells and that they know basically what needed to be done, or else your lack of control would have made them into cancer cells."

The doctor's face had a yelp climbing Shoichi's throat, but he swallowed it down like the vomit from earlier. The pinprick on his neck had helped, although it had left him feeling numb from the neck down. Thankfully, the numbness had helped him focus. Unfortunately, now he couldn't even feel his heart beat speeding in terror (which it had to be doing). He took a cautious step away from both the girl and the doctor.

"Quit scaring him. He did what he could," said Hana, coming to his rescue. Shoichi wanted to hug her (and possibly hide behind her). He stood his ground though. "And I doubt he'll ever be that unprepared again."

Shoichi stared at the girl. He had half expected some sarcastic comment to follow what was obviously not one. The utter surety, the faith, that permeated that declaration startled Shoichi and warmed the numbness away. He would not let Hana be wrong.

"He did," conceded Shamal. "But her kidney tissue has completely died while he worked on the intestine. Now there is no way to save her except to give her illusionary kidneys as long as possible. Maybe if Sawada gets that secret ally of his to make more permanent kidneys until she is able to make her own or we are able to find a suitable matc—"

"How does that mist flame-illusion thing of yours work?" demanded Hana.

"Why do you need to know that, kitten?" asked Shamal. Shoichi didn't know whether to admire the man or pity him. No one would refuse Hana when she had that expression. Hana would make sure of that.

"Because, Dr. Shamal, I have an idea," said Hana. "And I need you to tell me if it will work."

-break-

Left foot up, then forward, then down. Now right foot up, then forward, then down. Left foot up—

Tsuna's left foot tripped over the flat ground (Tsuna had failed to follow through correctly with the whole "left foot up" command). Lacking the energy to come up with new mental commands, Tsuna's face met the ground for the three thousandth time that day. The meeting was much softer than the previous ones, so Tsuna decided to keep in touch with the ground for a little longer. Not like he could avoid another meeting with it anyway.

A kick briefly interrupted the meeting and bounced Tsuna into a few other meetings with the road which ended with an abrupt unscheduled meeting with a wall. Well, thought Tsuna, this is new.

"Stop torturing our student, Reborn. I think he's had enough for today," said the voice of an angel. Or at least that was what Fon in comparison to the demon that currently had his foot digging into Tsuna's head. Poor Tsuna's head. It no longer knew how it felt like not to be in pain. Tsuna would be crying from pain if not for the fact that it would take too much energy.

"A future mafia boss must be strong enough to look unruffled at all times, especially when he is about to faint from exhaustion," said the demon too loud. Or maybe the voice was too loud because it was right next to Tsuna's ear.

"I doubt our student has the endurance for such an act. We will work further on that tomorrow," said the supposed angel. Apparently even angels can be corrupted by demons. Tsuna nearly did cry then. He didn't want two demon teachers.

"Someone's waiting for you, Tsuna," said Reborn. "I suggest you get up and get moving."

A groan would have echoed out of Tsuna's mouth, but Tsuna needed all his breath to energize the screaming muscles. He really wished he could make his muscles stop screaming pain. Maybe then he could get them to listen to him.

"Looks like he isn't going to make a very good impression on the CEDEF's ambassador," said Fon. Tsuna continued to struggle upwards (stupid muscles and their nonstop screams), but he vaguely recognized that his hyper intuition picked up some sort of unspoken conversation going on between his teachers. His hyper intuition wasn't screaming though, more like whispering, so Tsuna did bother deciphering it over his muscle's cries of pain.

"You are very lucky, Dame-Tsuna, that your teachers are forgiving," said Reborn, and Tsuna's attention diverted long enough from his trembling limbs for the boy to wonder if forgiveness meant that rocks hit you less hard than the ground. All thoughts ceased to flow through Tsuna's head as warmth silenced the screams and cried and stilled his limbs. Tsuna took in a sharp breath and felt his body relaxed under him. A kick broke the blessed, wonderful relief of painlessness. "I didn't do that so you could lie like jello on the floor. Get up and make yourself presentable."

A lick tickled his cheek, tiny fingers pulled gently at his hair, and a growling warmth rumbled through his right bicep. Tsuna smiled at Leon and balanced carefully as he stood up so that he wouldn't knock Lichi off his head. Tsuna petted the monkey and then offered a hand for Leon to climb on. Leon did and then glowed briefly before shifting into a clothes brush. Lichi scurried around Tsuna's head in a way that Tsuna figured meant that the tiny white monkey was removing all the twigs, branches, dirt, and bugs from Tsuna's hair.

Careful not to hurt Leon, Tsuna dusted off his Kung Fu uniform, and then wiped his shoes off when Leon became a rag. He had hesitated, but the large yellow eyes had convinced Tsuna that the chameleon would be upset if Tsuna didn't let him help. So Tsuna did. Lichi scurried off his head and climbed all over Tsuna's outfit, tugging at the cloth and yanking out the wrinkles.

Zarathos quietly spread his warmth from Tsuna's upper right arm down the rest of his arm and up through his shoulder and back down to the rest of his body. The warmth soothed and stoked Tsuna's natural heat, and Tsuna spread his feet apart and placed them in their well-practiced places. Now, Tsuna wouldn't fall. Probably.

Lichi jumped off Tsuna's shoulder and landed on Fon's head, and Leon shifted back to chameleon form and leapt towards Reborn who caught him easily. Tsuna lifted his hand to rub Zarathos through his sleeve. The short brunet had to introduce the dragon to his teachers soon, but right now the dragon still was recovering from his stasis. Calling the bracelet-looking band wrapped around his upper arm a real live dragon might make his teachers question his sanity, and Tsuna wasn't sure he could survive any attempts to restore his sanity. Or rather a semblance of sanity since the other might be impossible at this point.

"Tsuna, you're back," said Takeshi the instant that Tsuna entered into Takesushi. "Someone's been waiting for you!"

Tsuna kept his limbs loose like Fon taught him and glanced around as casually as possible to find where this someone (who was part of the CEDEF) was standing. A teen slightly taller than Takeshi stood up from a booth near the wall. He had dirty blond hair and blank, odd blue eyes. Tsuna gave him a small nod and struggled not to smile. Future mafia bosses didn't smile at suspicious strangers. Or at least Tsuna supposed that Reborn would say something like that after kicking Tsuna to the ground. But something about the teen made Tsuna want to smile as the warmth cooled through his skin. Maybe because the unknown teen looked like he could be a cousin of Fuuta's?

"Art thou Sawada Tsunayoshi?" asked the dirty blond.

"Yes," said Tsuna. He forced his tone to be even although the boy's old speech confused him. "Who are you?"

"I am called Basil," said the teen with a very stiff bow. "I was apprenticed to thy father."

Inwardly, Tsuna flinched. He didn't dare show it outwardly, having long learned to fear Reborn's kicks, but he wished he could. Basil's tone was nothing but informative, but Tsuna could tell that the other teen wanted to use his words to lash out, to hurt Tsuna. And Tsuna could only think of one reason why.

"Why are you here?" Tsuna asked, both because he wanted to know and because he wanted to redirect the subject.

"I wast sent to deliver these to your possession," said Basil, reaching into a bag hanging from his shoulder and taking out an elaborate black case. The black case had golden engravings along the edges that bordered and elaborate crest in the middle of the lid that could only belong to one organization. Unless another large organization had a clam for a symbol, Tsuna guessed that the boss was Vongola.

"What is it?" asked Tsuna. His words were clipping themselves short in an attempt to keep him from saying what might get his skull dented in.

"The box contains the Vongola half-rings," said Basil. "They are the CEDEF's most guarded treasure, as well as Vongola's. Thou shouldest get the Nono's half-rings when Ganauche-dono cometh here. All thou needeth do is join the two sets together."

Tsuna stretched out his hand, and Basil crossed the shop to place the box in Tsuna's hand. Before the teen could pull away, Tsuna trapped one of the blond's hands between Tsuna's own and the box's lid. Orange-tinted brown eyes caught odd blue.

"Thank you for bringing these here safely," said Tsuna, following his intuition's instructions. He shifted slightly, uncomfortably, under the thought of the next words, but he let them form on his tongue. "Please stay for the funeral."

"I am truly sorry, Sawada-dono," said Basil. He tugged at his hand, but Tsuna made sure that it wouldn't budge from under his. The other teen couldn't go until he agreed to Tsuna's request (Tsuna didn't want to call it a command but…). Basil switched to attempting a bow that wouldn't collide his head into the elaborately carved box. "My superiors have given me strict command to return speedily to Italy."

"Let them know that the future Vongola Decimo has told you to stay," said Tsuna. He released Basil's hand and tried to keep the heat near the surface of his skin and his eyes focused for the next words. "He was important to you too."

The expression on Basil's face was hard to physically make out past the blurring from exhaustion, but Tsuna's hyper intuition let him know that the other teen was shocked. Tsuna turned as gracefully as possible to Takeshi, who had moved closer to Tsuna's side as if to catch the small brunet in case he fell. Tsuna gave his friend a small smile.

"Please find a place for Basil-san to stay," said Tsuna. Another impulse struck him, and he opened the lid to the box and handed one of the rings to Takeshi. He knew that ring, the one with the half droplet, was Takeshi's. The grin on the swordsman's face cemented Tsuna's decision, despite Tsuna not consulting Fon or Reborn.

"I see you're ready for bed," said Yamamoto-san, coming from behind the counter. "But your mother has made a very delicious meal which you should eat first."

Tsuna nodded and started for the kitchen, but his legs decided to forget their orders again, and Tsuna met with the floor again. Given that his arms were joining his legs in rebelling, this meeting could go on a while. Except hands had gripped him under his armpits and helped him make his legs obey. The hands continued to support him even after Tsuna's legs steadied under him.

"I see your teachers are pushing you hard," said Tsuyoshi. He removed one of the supporting hands and then slipped the other under the Tsuna's arm and swung Tsuna's arm over Tsuyoshi's shoulder. Tsuna opened his mouth to protest, but Takeshi spoke first.

"Don't worry, Dad'll explain to Mama that you practiced too hard. I didn't look too good earlier either," said Takeshi. All thoughts of his position fled from Tsuna's mind in favor of focusing on staring oddly at Tsuna's best friend. Takeshi blinked and scratched the back of his head. "What? Did I say something weird?"

Tsuna shook his head but continued to stare. Finally, Tsuna's thoughts gathered long enough for him to use his voice.

"Um…please tell me that Mom didn't ask you to call her that," said Tsuna, his cheeks heating. His mother would tell his best friend that. She probably had told that to the people close to Tsuna with the exception of Hana because Hana had a living mother. Nana loved to mother people. But something about the title coming out of Takeshi's mouth felt much more embarrassing than if any other's had used it. And uncomfortably right—

"Is it impolite to call thy mother '_Mamma'_ in proper company in Japan?" asked Basil, confusing clouding the strange blue eyes.

"No, it's not," said Takeshi. His hand would have looked attached to his head if the hand wasn't moving. A slight redness highlighted Takeshi's cheeks. "But she's Tsuna's mom, not mine."

"I apologize," said Basil quickly with a stiff but fast bow. "I have assumed that thou and Sawada-dono were brothers, and that thy close appearance to the Akai Shigure was coincidental. I truly am sorry for my mistake."

"That's okay," said Takeshi. His hand fell from its place behind his head and moved towards Tsuna but returned to Takeshi's side when Takeshi seemed to remember that his arm couldn't go around Tsuna's shoulders at the moment. A huge grin stretched across Takeshi's face as if something physically struck him into unthinking happiness. "I don't mind being confused for Tsuna's brother. We kinda are already brothers."

"I see," said Basil. The blue eyes that had gained a spark of life turned dark as they glanced at Yamamoto-san, but Tsuna was too distracted to decipher why. A warmth was spreading across Tsuna's chest along with guilt. Tsuna shouldn't be so happy to have a brother. He already had one.

"Tsu-kun! Are you okay?" asked Tsuna's mother as she hurried over from the direction of the kitchen. She examined Tsuna, and he tried to give her a wide, unhurt smile, which was hard when his muscles were still screaming.

"He's fine," said Yamamoto-san, giving Tsuna's mother a wide smile in Tsuna's place. "He's just been training. He'll be right back at it tomorrow, so I think he'll probably look like this for a while. He'll probably look better after he's had one of your hamburgers."

Tsuna's head regained some movement at the word "hamburger." Tsuna's mother smiled.

"You boys," said Nana, her smile widening and softening as she took in Yamamoto-san and Takeshi along with Tsuna. "I guess I have to get used to living with so many men. I'm glad I made so much food. It looks like you'll all need full stomachs to keep on at this pace. It's why I made—"

The rest of the sentence faded as Tsuna's mother's brown eyes wavered, and Tsuna summoned his last bit of strength to stretch an arm to grab his mother's hand. She startled, but Tsuna tightened his hold. Brown eyes met brown, and Tsuna attempted a second smile. This time, he fueled it with all the warmth he could, thinking of every meal and moment that Tsuna had shared with his mother and every one that he would still share with her. He wanted to wordlessly promise her what he promised I-pin, adding only one more part. Tsuna wanted to promise he would be there for all the moments that _that man_ (his father, Tsuna could probably call him that now) would no longer have a chance to be.

Nana's smile returned blindingly. Her hand squeezed around Tsuna as her eyes watered. Suddenly she lunged at him and wrapped him a painfully tight (but warm, so warm) embrace.

"Oh, my Tsu-kun. My wonderful, sweet Tsu-kun," said Tsuna's mother, her grip making each of Tsuna's muscle screech, but he didn't pull away. Hands ran through his hair as arms both hurt and held him. A breath whispered in his ear, and he didn't regret the pain at all. "You make Mama so proud."

* * *

><p>"Are you certain you want to do this?"<p>

Hana glared at the tall Italian standing next to her bed.

"I believe I already answered that question," said Hana in her harshest tone. Which unfortunately did not work on the man. Of all the monkeys Tsuna could have sent, the stubborn brunet chose to send the one that wasn't. That choice alone made Hana consider that maybe Tsuna would make a decent boss one day, whether in the mafia or not. Now there was a thought, dragging Tsuna out of this whole mafia business kicking and screaming and turn him into something respectable. Maybe a CEO for one of the top 100 companies. A legal one, of course.

"I doubt Tsunayoshi will be pleased with this," said Lancia, his eyes scanning the room constantly as they seemed to always do. Getting this one out of the mafia would prove a real challenge. Tsuna only agreed to the whole idea to save that stupid monkey king of a brother of his, but the Italian was born and bred in that dark world. One can only do so much to separate a man from his roots, and those instincts would always remain.

"I'm still not pleased with him, so he can think whatever he likes," said Hana flippantly. "Your job is to make sure neither of those two kill me."

"Shamal is one of the most sought-after doctors in Italy," said Lancia. "And Irie did a sufficiently good job with the Nakimori girl's organs."

"Yes," said Hana. "Nice to know one of those idiots can be relied on when the time comes and one finds themselves with a blade in their stomach or their limbs blown to kingdom come."

"For a female civilian, you have a gory imagination," said Lancia, as expected not put off by the mental images at all. Hana huffed in mild annoyance. Changing the mafia would be easier that dragging this man out of that world.

"Yeah. It comes from having friends who insist on putting themselves in danger," said Hana blandly. "A woman's imagination can produce some unforgiving imagery."

"A woman's worry is boundless," agreed Lancia knowingly. "We should inform Tsunayoshi of the procedure."

"If you think a woman's worry is boundless, you need to see that idiot when he's in one of his worrying panics," said Hana. "It's better to bypass that whole thing altogether. Besides, it's about time he gets a taste of his own medicine."

The silence to her right indicated partial agreement with her statement if not complete. As Lancia had pointed out, the perverted monkey was a world-class doctor and Shoichi had proven himself useful in a medical emergency already, so Hana should emerge from the procedure perfectly fine. No, she would emerge from the surgery in near perfect health and then go tell Tsuna and watch him worry retroactively for once. Tsuna always did learn better with real-life examples.

"We're ready," said the perverted doctor as he entered into the "borrowed" hospital room (Hana for all her finesse in getting the paperwork did nothing in acquiring the room and did not want to know what they did to get it). "Your blood work came back fine, and your vitals are fine. Last chance to change your mind, honey."

"Do you men all feel like you have to say that? I told you I made up my mind so roll me into the operating room before whatever you did to 'reserve' the organs undoes itself," said Hana rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't maim a sweet honey without first trying to convince her otherwise," said the perverted monkey with a particular stupid attempt at a charming smile. After being exposed to a certain brunet's smiles, ones like these nearly made Hana want to retch.

"First, you had better not 'maim' anyone. You remove one of my kidneys cleanly and properly," said Hana, her gaze narrowed on the supposed world-class doctor. "Second, Lancia will be observing the procedure since no amount of local anesthetic will keep me from fainting halfway through the surgery even if I wanted to stay awake to keep an eye on you myself, and he will knock you out if he sees anything improper."

"As much as I love the honeys, I would never take advantage of a patient," said Shamal, running his fingers through his hair and tossing the fringe backwards. "And I will be bit busy trying to make sure that neither of my patients die."

Hana frowned. Now the perverted monkey was trying to scare her out of her decision too. However, she wasn't going to let the other girl die or allow some low-probability plan to be put into place.

"Just give me the anesthesia and get on with it," said Hana. "I expect to wake up in two hours lying next to a nearly healed Nakimori Nagi and short one kidney. Otherwise, I doubt you will be in charge of picking up the pieces that will remain of the chosen Vongola heir."

"You will come out of it," said Irie. His grey-green eyes held a brightness that Hana had not seen before and reminded her very much of Tsuna's right before he made a decision that the short brunet would not be persuaded from. Even behind the dorky glasses, that look was powerful and annoying. Seriously, Irie could do to spend a little less time around Tsuna. He pulled a yellow ribbon out of his pocket and yanked a strange metal emblem. One that reminded Hana of the emblem that always hung around Tsuna's neck. Hana's attention was forcefully dragged away from the object and back to the piercing grey-green eyes. "I will make sure of it. Nakimori and you will come out of the transplantation in good health. I will make sure of it."

Definitely, Hana thought, Tsuna is a bad influence. And of all their growing _famiglia_, Irie had spent the least amount of time around the stubborn brunet, and yet here he was. Sounding entirely too much like Tsuna. Or maybe, Hana was starting to see the frustrating brunet everywhere.

The look dissipated as an arm slammed into the redhead's back.

"One successful procedure, and your head is too large for your shoulders," said Shamal, the owner of the arm. "This is the exact reason why I don't take one male students. Unfortunately, I had a moment of complete idiocy and decided to take one anyway."

"Considering his progress, he is a good student," said Lancia, earning an angry stare from the perverted monkey.

"I suppose my teaching has nothing to do with it," said Shamal irritably before turning to the completely deflated Irie. The redhead seemed to be cringing into himself and over the item in his hand. "If that is what I think it is, other men are even denser than I thought. You should have brought that out faster. But it will increase the chances that both the beautiful honeys will survive the transplant. Now on to the show."

The so-called world-class doctor picked up a transparent breathing mask, and Hana steeled herself one last time and allowed the man to slip the mask over her head. As her breath fogged the mask and then a sweet smell entered her lungs. The last thing she saw were scared grey-green eyes harden and stare straight into hers. She felt she could trust them.

* * *

><p>The heat was scorching Tsuna's stomach and trying to burn a hole through it. Something was wrong. Something was Tamaki-being-sick-and-almost-dying wrong. So Tsuna couldn't sleep. He also couldn't move. His muscles were finally quiet, but if he moved, they would resume their screaming. But he had to. He had to find out who was in danger. Especially since the heat had been burning since before, but the screaming of Tsuna's muscles drowned the sensation out. Now that the screaming was silenced, the heat would not be ignored.<p>

Tsuna pushed himself upwards and ignored as the heat once again took a backseat to the screams (pain). Times like this, Tsuna wished he hadn't lent the _Sol Augurio_ to Shoichi so the redhead could study it. His body would have screamed much less with it. He ignored both sensations long enough to get on his feet. His hard work was instantly undone as he fell straight back onto the futon fairly silently thanks to a kick to his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" hissed Reborn as the hitman landed on Tsuna's chest. "Your body needs rest, or you won't be able to survive tomorrow's training~."

The happy lilt to those words nearly caused tears to leak out of Tsuna's eyes. Why did the hitman have to be so sadistic? He was even corrupting _Shishō _with his sadism.

"Hardly. Fon has his own hidden sadism. He doesn't need to be corrupted with mine," said the devil disguised as a baby. Wait a minute—Tsuna didn't say that out loud. "I can read minds, Dame-Tsuna."

For an instant, Tsuna's whole mind forgot the pain and heat and focused on one thought. _"I knew it!"_

"Since you're already up and not going to sleep without help, would you like me to knock you out?" asked Reborn in an overly cute voice. Tsuna's head shook reflexively, and his muscles screeched. Getting the message of "no-I-am-not-a-masochist" was worth whatever level of pain it caused. "Then how about a bedtime story?"

Tsuna gave the obviously insane hitman an incredulous look.

"Don't worry. Yamamoto Jr. will sleep through anything except an attack," said Reborn. First, Tsuna wasn't worried about that. Second, what exactly did Reborn call what he did to Tsuna's head? "You really are Dame-Tsuna if you think that that friendly greeting counts as an attack."

Tsuna didn't even bother with another incredulous look. Instead he inwardly groaned at the hopelessness of trying to understand the hitman. Or arguing with him.

"Good to see you are growing out of your Dameness, though at this rate you will end up being Dame-Tsuna for all your life." The smirk on the hitman's face added a silent "to me at least." Oddly enough, Tsuna couldn't find enough energy to get upset at the unspoken insult. "Since you are apparently not going to go back to sleep, we might as well discuss who you are giving the rest of those rings to."

Despite the lack of heat (in regards to Reborn at least), Tsuna tensed. He looked up at the baby standing on his chest. Dark, black eyes stared back at him.

"…you're not mad?" asked Tsuna. The hitman smirked.

"Don't underestimate me. I already knew who your rain guardian was going to be before you handed him the ring," said Reborn.

"Rain guardian?" asked Tsuna.

"Stupid," said Reborn with a slight kick to Tsuna's chin, causing Tsuna's neck to snap back. Strangely, the kick didn't hurt. Tsuna's head actually felt better. The short brunet had not even noticed that his head was pounding until it stopped. "You gave your future right hand man a ring without even thinking about it."

Tsuna's eyes widened, and the brunet started to shake his head. He abruptly stopped when a gun nearly collided with his nose.

"Don't go telling me that Yamamoto Takeshi is not going to be your right hand man. And if you even dare think that you can keep him out of your _famiglia_—" The gun millimeters from Tsuna's nose cocked. "I'm going to have to up your training. A boss should not have such dangerous delusions."

"B-but Takeshi—" Tsuna started, but the finger on the trigger moved. "HIIE!"

"Don't screech. You'll wake the others," said Reborn, motioning to where Takeshi, Lambo, and I-pin were sleeping in futons around the room. None of them had wanted to go too far away once Tsuna had fallen limp on his futon. "Also, what have I said about stuttering?"

"Sorry," said Tsuna, concentrating hard to keep from stuttering.

"Apologies should be unnecessary for a boss. He should never do anything wrong," said Reborn smugly, angling the gun away from Tsuna's face and towards the ceiling. Tsuna's body relaxed even as his mind screamed in protest. No man could be perfect! "And that's why you'll always be dame, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna didn't even bother coming up with a counter for that illogic.

"Did you even think before handing the ring to Yamamoto Takeshi?" asked Reborn. A flat look was his reply. "And what did you think?"

"That the ring was Takeshi's," said Tsuna. The thought should have surprised him, but it didn't. It was the truth. The ring belonged to Takeshi. No one else should have it.

"Your Hyper Intuition," said Reborn. His eyes hid in the darkened shadow of his fedora. "An inheritance from the Primo."

"Primo?"

"The first boss of Vongola. I've noticed it is particularly strong in your case," said Reborn. "Your brother had a bit of it as well, but you have learned to listen to it better."

Nodding, Tsuna moved to sit up for the conversation, but a dig to his ribs stopped him.

"Now we have to use that to figure out who the rest of your guardians 'should' be, though I have a good guess as to who four or more of them your intuition will choose."

"I choose Gokudera, Lancia, Shoichi, and Hibari," said Tsuna, automatically realizing which ring went to which. He however wanted to emphasize that _he_ was choosing. Not some strange sense he inherited from a long dead great-great-great grandfather. Tsuna listened to it, but he had to agree with the choices himself.

"Of course, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn. "Having information and acting on it are two different things. All your intuition does is give you information. What you do with it is your own choice. Do you have an idea who you are choosing for the last ring? You have two or more choices."

Hesitantly, Tsuna nodded, not certain the hitman would approve of his final choice.

"It doesn't matter if I approve or not. They are _your_ guardians, Dame-Tsuna. You are the one who will have to trust them with your life, and they the ones who will trust you with theirs. I am merely here to advise you to choose wisely," said Reborn. Tsuna stared at the hitman, and the hitman stared back with a look that was almost….questioning.

"I thought you would force me," whispered Tsuna. "That you would choose for me since you know more about the rings…"

"That's not a problem, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn with a very dangerous smirk on his face. "Because when we are finished with this conversation, you will know as much about the rings as I do."

* * *

><p>The sun had only weakly stretched in through the window when Tsuna finally fully fell asleep. Fon would make sure to warn the others (and forcibly help Lambo) to keep quiet as they woke. Fon's student would need to rest for the whole day to recover his strength.<p>

"Finished with your bedtime story, Reborn," said Fon after effortlessly and silently landing next to the hitman who currently stood next to their student's head. The hitman only quietly snorted and hid his eyes under his fedora as he always did when he was trying to hide his more human side. Fon wondered what the other arcobaleno would think of all Fon had learned about the world's greatest hitman in the last few months. Skull especially would deny that Fon had seen anything like a heart in the evil, merciless Reborn.

"It was all information he needed to know in order to properly choose his guardians," said Reborn. He held up a hand for Leon to crawl onto from the rim of his hat.

"From what I heard, he had already chosen his guardians, and all good choices at that," said Fon. The fedora hid the hitman's face well, but Fon was fairly certain the sun arcobaleno was scowling. Who knew that the world's greatest hitman would be so sensitive about his attachments? Fon gave the hitman a quirking smile. "I assume you plan to wake him tomorrow and return him to his training without letting him know about his full day sleep."

"If he doesn't rest, he will never be able to master that technique," said Reborn, his fedora still shading his eyes. "He is still far behind in his flame control."

Fon indulged in a knowing smile.

"So a full days rest is needed before you reveal the location of his glasses and gloves. He was quite frantic looking for them the day before last."

"His body still wasn't ready for him to use his flames for long periods of time," said Reborn plainly. "But now that he has convinced the former CEDEF leader's apprentice, he can finally see how Dying Will Mode should be used."

"Yes, Tsuna is the sort of person who deals better with live demonstrations," said Fon. The silence that greeted Fon's comment declared agreement, and Fon's smile gained an amused tilt. But the tilt was quickly erased when he felt another presence slip into the room. The shadow of the fedora lifted to reveal two very amused glinting eyes. A brief irritation swept through Fon's being, but a deep breath dispelled it.

"I demand to know why the herbivore has not been in school," said Kyoya. His steel eyes had locked on briefly to Tsuna's sleeping form before turning their attention to Fon accusingly.

"He has been preparing for the return of those men in black cloaks," said Fon. He watched carefully to catch the tensing shoulders and slight clenching jaw of his nephew.

"The herbivore has not been mourning his father?" asked Kyoya.

"He has, but he has restarted his training," said Fon carefully avoiding the fact that Tsuna had disappeared for nearly two days. Fon was glad that Kyoya had not come seeking his student earlier, because all of Namimori would have suffered Tsuna's disappearance due to Kyoya's very-much-Hibari temper. Apparently Fon's nephew had sympathy enough to allow a boy to mourn before badgering Tsuna for a fight or information. More than they had had. Or perhaps the proper emotion was empathy.

"Tell him I expect him to show me his growth when he wakes," said Kyoya, turning to leave as abruptly as he appeared.

"He chose you to become one of his guardians," said Reborn almost flippantly. The statement actually made Kyoya look back. "Which means neither of you will have time for petty play fights. He needs you to be ready to face those monsters when they return."

"I will take care of those scavengers on my own. His decision has no effect on my actions," said Kyoya. An object arced and glinted through the air, and on reflex, Kyoya caught it.

"Then you can return that to him when you see him conscious again," said Reborn. He smirked dangerously. "That is if you can get to him."

Kyoya glared at the hitman, which prompted the required response.

"Since you're one of Tsuna's chosen guardians, a tutor has already been selected to help you in your training," said Reborn. Fon joined his nephew in staring at the hitman. Fon's nephew would not listen to a tutor. "If you can defeat your tutor, then you may fight Tsuna to your heart's content."

"And if I refuse," said Kyoya.

"I would be forced to counsel him to get another cloud guardian and to cut off all ties with you," said Reborn. Kyoya's glare said all that needed saying in reply to that statement. Fon wanted to believe his fellow teacher knew what he was doing, but so far the hitman appeared to have no idea how to deal with Kyoya. And then the hitman smirked. "The Vongola Decimo cannot be tied to a weak local defender who cannot even keep up with a lesser _famiglia's_ boss."

The statement's effect was immediate. Grey eyes flashed, and tonfas found their way to Kyoya's hands. For a brief instant at least before the tonfas were relocated to Reborn's possession.

"Like I said, the future Vongola Decimo does not need to associate with weaklings," said Reborn calmly. "He has already defeated you severely enough for you to end up in the hospital."

Fon knew that the hitman was exaggerating the incident, because while Tsuna's daily fight with Kyoya had pushed the young Hibari past his limits, the hospital visit was caused more by Kyoya's annual three-day insomnia. However, the hitman most likely knew that Kyoya wouldn't allow himself such an excuse and see the hospital visit as a loss to Tsuna. Which meant that Fon was not surprised by his nephew's reply.

"Where is this 'tutor' so that I may bite him to death?" asked Kyoya. Reborn's smirk remained perfectly in place.

"In Namimori Middle," said Reborn, and Fon let out a long controlled breath. He had been very wrong to underestimate the hitman's manipulative abilities. "He is disguised as a teacher there."

Vaguely impressed by his nephew's ability to radiate bloodlust so palpably, Fon decided that as good as Reborn was, one more push would not hurt. Perhaps Fon could keep his promise to his sister.

"He's a mafia boss that was formerly Reborn's student," said Fon. "If you look for someone from Italian descent, you will find him easily."

"Silence, carnivore," growled Kyoya, and Fon did stay silent. The work was done. Kyoya turned on his heel and he marched towards the window that he had entered in through from. "I will return and proceed to bite the herbivore to death, and you will not stop me."

"If you make it through the Chiavarone," said Reborn. And the smirk from before curled into an almost smile. "We'll let you beat Tsuna as much as you can."

* * *

><p>Heaviness. It surrounded her and pressed her down into something soft. A bed? It wasn't her bed. Her bed was impossibly soft and warm. She loved her bed. Her stepfather had let her pick it out herself as a gift. Mother had not liked the style and had changed the frame and the headboard, but she had left the mattress. And the mattress was wonderfully soft, like sleeping on soft, morning fog. Nagi spent as much time as she could on that bed.<p>

This softness was real. Springs stuffed with cotton or some other soft material and held together by thin wires. Real. Too real. Unlike the place she had been before that was a wide field with her Camphor tree. The one behind her grandmother's house. She had hoped to take Bullet-kun—no, Tsuna-kun there. She had wanted to show him how to climb the branches and watch all the people walking in the garden. Grandmother loved to show off her garden, and Nagi wanted Tsuna to see it too.

But that was before Grandmother died, and Mother sold the house and the garden. Before Nagi's first stepfather who bruised her cheek with his knuckles. Mother didn't care until he did the same to Mother's cheek. Then came stepfather two who pretended to be nice but then left in the middle of summer with all Mother's jewels. Finally came Stepfather, and he gave Nagi a bed. He made sure Nagi went to the best school and wore good clothes and expected Nagi to get good grades and always have good manners. And so Nagi tried. She got the best grades even if the other girls made it hard, and she tried to be polite but her manners were too quiet to hear. Stepfather didn't say anything. He didn't talk to her at all. Mother talked for him, and Nagi…Nagi kept trying.

Except Nagi didn't want to try anymore. She wanted to go back to her Camphor tree. She wanted to see if she could find Tsuna and show it to him. Or find anyone. Someone who wouldn't…someone who wasn't Mother or Stepfather or another stepfather or the girls at school. Nagi wanted someone to see her like Noire. The black cat never ignored her, not really. He was a good cat who sat on her lap and purred and treated her like he liked her. That's why he couldn't be run over by the truck. He couldn't. No one would see Nagi without him. No one but Noire would look.

"She's waking up," said a quiet male voice, and Nagi wondered if Mother had switched stepfathers on her while she was asleep. But Nagi was supposed to stay asleep. She was supposed to die. Mother hadn't wanted to save her. "Have you decided what to tell her?"

"I see no reason not to tell her the truth," said a female voice that Nagi recognized. Tsunayoshi's friend. The one that wore and angry expression when she looked at Nagi but was still nice. Hana-san.

"Please remember she has just undergone major surgery," said the male voice which couldn't be a new stepfather. Mother wouldn't associate with a man who would talk to low-life bratty children. Mother wouldn't have liked Tsuna and his friends.

"So did I. She will have to learn to deal with this sort of stress quickly. Tsuna needs us back as soon as possible," said Hana-san. "There is very little time until the funeral. A week is already too long. I doubt that the Nono could delay any longer than two, not to mention that his representative or guardian or whatever—Ganauche should be here soon. Irie-kun hasn't had word that he's arrived yet, but it's only a matter of time. Besides, I don't think Tsuna will manage to stay put if he gets too worried. So the sooner we get back, the better. And she's coming with us."

"If she is as important to Tsunayoshi-kun as you have claimed, she cannot stay here," said the male voice. "But he would want her to make that choice herself."

Nagi realized that the words (the whole conversation) was directed at her. Slowly, she pushed up her eyelids and rolled her eyes in the direction of the voices. Hana-san was laying on a hospital bed and wearing a hospital gown. Nagi moved her head slightly to view a tube attached itself to her hand, and a few bleeping monitors surrounded her. Another movement of her head revealed that right next to her bed stood a man. Nagi nearly re-shut her eyes. The man scared her. He stood straight more than three feet above Hana's bed, and three long scars dug into one of his cheeks. The green eyes stared at her intently, and Nagi wished her body strong enough to yank the covers over her head.

"Don't worry about Lancia," said Hana-san, dragging Nagi's attention away from the scary tall man. Pain shot through Nagi's head as she moved it again. "He's rather harmless unless you attack him. Or are a certain illusionist. And since you are neither, he won't hurt you. Actually, he's under orders not to."

"O-Or…ders?" Nagi croaked. Her usual whisper had distorted and quieted to something incomprehensible, so Nagi waited for the harsh words that were supposed to make hers stronger but only made them weaker.

"Technically Tsuna told him to keep an eye on me and protect me, but he's well aware that if Tsuna was here he would include you in that protection as well," said Hana-san in a casual tone. "So what is your answer? Are you coming back with us or not? For the record, your parents haven't been by to visit, so it'll be easy to convince them you're dead and there was a mix up with your body. From what I have heard, I doubt they will search too hard."

The words should have hurt. They should have made Nagi curl up into ball and bury her head in her knees. Rejection shouldn't cease to hurt. She shouldn't be used to it. But Nagi was, and the words telling her that her parents (Mother and all her stepfathers and probably her real father too) didn't care did nothing but make her numb. She found herself focusing on the questions which made her heart move in a strange, unrecognizable flutter. No wait. Nagi remembered that flutter. It occurred when Tam—Tsunayoshi defended her from Mother and when he promised to see her again. Nagi trusted that flutter.

"Well?" asked Hana-san in a way that wasn't asking. Nagi nodded hesitantly, a little worried that the other girl had only offered (demanded) to take Nagi with them as a joke. To make fun of pathetic, quiet Nagi. And then the tension that Nagi hadn't noticed in Hana-san's shoulders eased, and Nagi's cheeks warmed. She should never have thought such a joke of Tsunayoshi's friend. The tall girl nodded sharply. "We'll leave in the morning and getting you transferred to Namimori Hospital. They have fairly good care there. We would leave today, but then we'd be as reckless as that mutual friend of ours. Hopefully he'll still be in one piece when we get there."

Shyness and weakness subdued Nagi's answering nod. Silence filled the room, and Nagi stared at her hands clenching and unclenching the thin hospital blanket. Nagi swallowed and imagined the threads of the blanket unraveling under her fingers and floating up into the air to form the right words to break the uncomfortable silence. To help Tsunayoshi's friend become Nagi's friend too.

"Don't you have any questions?" asked Hana-san, and Nagi's stare peeked out at her from the corner of her eyes. No, only one eye which is why she had to keep turning her head. "Can you talk, or are you still feeling too weak? We can hold off your transfer another day if necessary."

Nagi shook her head as vigorously as she could. Her lack of an eye should bother her more, but there were matters that were more important. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth to try saying the words she imagined.

"T-thank y-you." Her voice quivered with insecurity and lack of use. Hana quietly snorted.

"Sometimes I think you and that self-sacrificing idiot should have been twins instead of him and the moronic monkey king," she said, and Nagi blushed. "I suggest you ask whatever you want to know now before your body gives into the need to rest."

The tall girl sunk into her pillows a little at the statement before pushing on her elbows to keep her head high enough to keep looking at Nagi. Nagi's question formed and escaped her lips faster than her mind could stop it.

"Why are you here?"

Dark brown eyes pushed her own to close in an effort to get away from the hard stare.

"I thought that would be obvious. We're here to do what your parents should have done: keep you from dying," came the harsh reply. "If you weren't unconscious in the hospital, we would be discussing exactly why keeping that you're in trouble from your friends is very bad idea."

"F-friends?" The question once again slipped past Nagi's defenses. Hana-san sighed.

"Definitely should have been twins," the tall girl muttered, but Nagi heard clearly. Nagi could always hear clearly, even when she really wished she couldn't.

"I do not think that Kurokawa would have come all this way and given you a kidney if she didn't think consider you a friend, though for many people that would be going above and beyond," said the man—Lancia Hana-san had called him. Nagi's eyes (no, eye—she only had one now- why did it take her so long to notice?) grew wide enough for her to take in every detail of the tall girl, including the slight blush on her otherwise indifferent expression. Nagi's heart fluttered.

"Tsuna would have been upset if you died," said Hana-san. Nagi's fluttering heart fell flat. Hana-san glanced over at her and sighed silently again before shifting to keep herself semi-upright and still comfortable. "And the rest of us would have been too. Tsuna has been keeping us up-to-date on how you were doing. He wouldn't read us your e-mails or anything, but he made sure that we knew whether you were doing well or not. He was really worried about you, and even with everything he's been going through, he remembered to keep up with your e-mails. When he had to leave to save 'Tama-kun,' he had his mother send your e-mails so that you wouldn't worry."

"What happened to Tama-kun?" whispered Nagi. The other questions hadn't been ignored or scolded away, and she hoped one more wouldn't be. Hope. Oh. Her heart fluttered with hope. Hope that she would finally get to be with her Bullet-kun and away from Mother and Stepfather and her classmates. That she would finally go to where she was wanted and might be needed.

"He was kidnapped, and Tsuna went to unkidnap him," said Hana-san plainly. She took a deep breath that Nagi couldn't confuse for a sigh. The breath shuddered through the tall girl's entire body, and Nagi realized that the other girl was struggling to keep up her strong-willed façade. Nagi's fingers clenched the blanket and barely wrinkled it.

"Hana-san," whispered Nagi before the other girl could catch her breath and continue. Dark brown eyes turned with full attention at the deep-blue brunette. Nagi's insides clenched painfully, but she ignored them. "May we rest first?"

Dark brown eyes searched Nagi's remaining one, and Nagi didn't know if she imagined the glint of approval in them.

"Yes," said Hana-san as she allowed herself to collapse onto the pillows, "we may."


	58. Aggravating Hurt

A/N: This took longer than I wanted, but I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

><p>Chapter 58: <em>Aggravating Hurt<em>

Basil watched as his master's son finally stopped fiddling with the orange-rimmed eyeglasses in his hands. Wavering brown eyes lifted from staring at the glasses to stare at Basil, and he did his best to stand straight and firm his stance.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Basil-san?" asked Tsunayoshi-dono. Basil analyzed his opponent like Oregano had showed him, trying to understand if Master's son (a boy younger than him and looking so unsure) doubted Basil, doubted himself, wanted to trick Basil into underestimated him, or simply didn't want to fight. Deliberately, Basil took out his Metal Edge and carefully watched Tsunayoshi-dono's reaction. Master's son shifted his stance, keeping his right arm level with his head and his left one level with his stomach. Both remained elbow length away from his body as he leaned back slightly on his left foot which was half a stride away from his right. He should be able to either thrust or kick away any attack, meaning that Tsunayoshi-dono was ready to do battle. So Master's son did not doubt himself, and if he wanted to trick Basil he was terrible actor. So either Tsunayoshi-dono didn't want to fight or doubted Basil's skills. Tsunayoshi-dono said hesitantly, "You don't have to spar with me."

"I am certain I do, Sawada-dono," Basil answered. His dark blue eyes gleamed like sharp stones. If Master's son doubted Basil's skills, Basil would prove himself. Master had been training him for over three years. He wouldn't disgrace Master. And if Tsunayoshi-dono didn't like to fight…he would learn. "Master's sacrifice wouldst be in vain if thou shouldest die after thou becomest the true heir."

A tenseness settled across Tsunayoshi-dono's shoulders, and Basil watched. Oregano and Tumeric had allowed him to stay for the funeral, but they had given him strict instructions to observe Master's son. Basil was to evaluate and decide whether Tsunayoshi-dono was worthy to be Vongola's heir. If Tsunayoshi-dono showed himself to be unworthy, Basil would take back the CEDEF's half of the Vongola rings, and either Tumeric or Oregano would come to Japan personally to reevaluate Master's son. Basil would make certain that Tsunayoshi-dono truly lived up to the Nono's and Master's expectations and those placed by the mafia on any possible Vongola heir.

"Alright," said Tsunayoshi-dono calmly. Basil nodded and reached into his pocket with his right hand. He took a whole five seconds to decide to take out two and not one. Heat condensed into a blue flame on his forehead, and he flinched slightly at the increased temperature and pressure before steading himself. He quickly swiped his Metal Edge in front of his forehead so that it would alight with blue flame too, and Basil held it out in front of himself as his free hand stayed parallel his body. Master had told him not to use the Hyper Dying Will mode without permission, but Master couldn't…Basil had to decide on his own. He would show that he was ready. Basil narrowed his eyes in determination.

"I will show you the true power of Hyper Dying Will mode," said Basil. Tsunayoshi-dono nodded as he carefully slipped on the eyeglasses. An orange flame so like Master's flared into existence on his brow, and the eyeglasses glowed briefly leaving aviator glasses in their place.

"Show me," said Tsunayoshi-dono instantly launching himself at him. Metal Edge blocked his gloved right hand. Basil noted that the gloves had a more metallic sheen now. He had to be careful of them, because he did not doubt they could light up as easily as his own Metal Edge. Basil had no more time to think as Tsunayoshi-dono's left hand brushed hard across Basil's face, and Basil titled his head to dodge the blow. The potential Vongola heir hooked his left foot under and around Basil's right and pushed hard against Metal Edge. The push caused Basil to lose his balance, and the now-hooked fingers of Tsunayoshi-dono's left hand headed straight for Basil's throat.

Planting his unhindered foot firmly on the ground, Basil knocked Tsunayoshi's forehead with his own, but then Master's son retaliated and knocked their foreheads together again. The crack sounded hard and loud, and black dots encroached on Basil's vision as Basil's head flew backwards. The young heir released Basil and caused the young Italian to fall backwards and narrowly miss a tree before falling onto some bushes. He shut his eyes and attempted to mentally re-gather his strength. Master had taught Basil that no matter how hard the hit, a real man got back up. Blinking hard and fast, Basil focused on Tsunayoshi-dono's direction.

Tsunayoshi-dono had released the tightness of his hands and was staring worriedly in Basil's direction. The potential Vongola heir (a teen younger and less experienced than Basil) stood loose and unguarded, completely unprepared for an attack. The growl that vibrated silently in Basil's throat would have surprised the older teen himself, but the black dots had been replaced with a red haze. With a speed he had not ever used ever before, Basil leapt out of the bush and slashed across the potential Vongola heir's chest.

Blood splashed onto Basil's Metal Edge, and the silk blue top of Tsunayoshi-dono's uniform that hadn't even become moist with sweat during their brief clash was now torn in the center and stained with drops of red. More would have spread (like Master's blood must have while protecting this naïve, pitiful _child_), but Tsunayoshi-dono leapt away from Metal Edge before it could bite deeper. Wide orange eyes met with Basil's, and those eyes caused Basil's flames to rage brighter. How could they be so clear? Why weren't they filled with guilt or sorrow or anger? Why did they look nothing like Master's?

Tsunayoshi-dono's right foot hit the ground and twisted slightly. Basil seized the opportunity and slashed at the potential Vongola heir's right arm. More blue silk ripped and red blood spilt. A quick flip by Tsunayoshi-dono sent a kick towards Basil's face and another towards the hand holding Metal Edge. Basil backed up in time to dodge both consecutive kicks, but the movement gave Tsunayoshi-dono enough space to finish executing the quick flip and put some space between him and Basil. Basil surged forward to close the space and connect another slash to the Vongola heir's left arm. But the space had given the short Japanese boy enough time to regain his balance and stance. Tsunayoshi-dono deflected the metal edge with a gloved chop from his left hand at the same time that he dropped in a slanting motion with the right. From his dropped crouch, he sprung right back up and thrust a palm forcefully under Basil's chin.

Basil's head flew back again, but this time the crack sounded muffled when it should have been loud and the dark spots all but blot out his vision. Basil tried to recover himself, but his body fell limp and hard against the ground after bouncing twice. Pain like lightning and drums burst through his brain and echoed throughout his whole body. His head landed on his side, and what vision wasn't dotted with black filled with red. The Italian teen could barely think clearly enough to note that his own blood pooled on the ground. A slight increase in the pain around his mouth and wracking coughs confirmed from where the blood flowed.

A frightened, anxious voice failed to make itself understood over the ringing in Basil's ears even as brown fought to enter his black-and-red vision. Somehow, Basil realized that Master's son was staring down at him, and Basil could almost imagine the victorious or pitying look that probably adorned Master's son's face. The half-image blurred into one of Master when Basil had started to faint for the fifteenth time of attempting to use his Dying Will Mode. Master's face was dark, and his light brown eyes filled with disappointment. The wide grin that Master wore later never erased that image, and Basil knew that he had failed-that he had failed Master again. Perhaps this time Master would scold him with words instead of with that horrible, unforgettable look in his eyes…

* * *

><p>The spar had escalated into a fierce fight far too quickly. The two boys had been trading blows in a well-practiced and almost calm manner. Basil Delphini had quickly and unfortunately revealed himself to be at a level too low to give Tsuna a proper challenge. Fon had glanced over at his fellow arcobaleno and noted the dark glint in the hitman's eyes that Fon had come to realize meant a change of the hitman's plans.<p>

Of course, Tsuna would benefit from watching someone trained to use the Dying Will Mode, but the boy wouldn't get much of a workout from sparring with such a low-level opponent. For another student, this opportunity would have allowed him to practice self-control, but Tsuna had too much of that particular trait. He had only lately started to loosen his self-conscious hold on his strength, and he needed to be put in a position that encouraged him to loosen it further.

The martial artist had been considering arranging another spar with Tsuyoshi between Takeshi and Tsuna and perhaps even suggesting that Hibari be guided this way "accidentally" and allowed to try to "bite Tsuna to death." Either of those two could stand against all of Tsuna's current attacks. The short brunet had yet to master the one attack Reborn had been training the boy to use. Tsuna needed better control of his Hyper Dying Will mode before he could use _that_ technique.

These thoughts had been interrupted when the spar had turned into a true fight. Unfortunately Fon had not been paying close enough attention to know exactly when the change had occurred, but blood had been spilt (perhaps the CEDEF leader's protégé wasn't as low level as he originally assumed) and the two had not slowed. Instead their attacks and movements had both strengthened and sped up. Fon had shared a look with Reborn, and a moment of indecision passed between them. Basil was not strong enough to prove an actual threat to Tsuna, and the boy could use the practice fighting an opponent with serious intent to hurt or perhaps kill. Neither knew the Delphini enough to know what the older boy's motives were. Even the Vindice were aiming more to capture than kill or injure. They hesitated too long, because Fon had been wrong. Basil did pose a threat to Tsuna. Fon should have known, should have figured out what would happen if they allowed the fight to continue. But he didn't until it was too late.

Tsuna palm-thrusted the Italian boy under the chin hard enough to sound out a crack and snap back the CEDEF ambassador's neck, and blood spilled out from Basil's mouth. The horror that filled Tsuna's face as the other boy bounced twice before falling into a limp pile of limbs highlighted exactly what Fon had failed to consider. Tsuna ran straight to his fallen opponent in a manner that in many situations could have led to his death.

"Basil-san!" cried Tsuna, stopping right over the other boy. The horror stretched out the brunet's face into a bone-tight, eye-bulging mask. "Basil-san!"

"Calm down and move out of the way, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn, immediately appearing at the boy's side. Fon quickly took his place on Tsuna's other side. A yellow glow instantly appeared from Reborn's pacifier and shone on the unconscious boy. The red gel oozing out of the boy's mouth slowed, but it didn't stop. A glance into the boy's mouth revealed why even Reborn's powerful (if crude) healing method failed. The crack that had sounded loudly earlier had been the Italian boy's teeth snapping together so fast and hard that a piece of his tongue had been bitten off. For all the strength and purity of Reborn's flames, that sort of wound would need trained medical attention.

"We need to take him to the Namimori Hospital," said Fon. The blood flow had nearly stopped, and now would be the best time to move him. Reborn nodded slightly in agreement, letting Fon know that the CEDEF representative was stable enough to move. A sudden movement pushed both of the arcobaleno into their differing defensive forms, Fon straight and hands subtly angled at his sides and Reborn with Leon in gun form and the green barrel about to touch his fedora. Both casually (and with the subtlest embarrassment) dropped their stances.

The young Basil lay in Tsuna's careful and trembling cradle. With little adjustment so that the much taller body wouldn't slip out of his cradle, Tsuna immediately started back toward Namimori at full speed. Fon and Reborn wordlessly matched their pace to his. Fon didn't need to look at his fellow arcobaleno to know that he was having the same thought. Despite their smaller size, they could have found a way to carry the unconscious teenager to the hospital faster, but their student needed to do this. As much as possible, he needed to undo what he had done, or else Tsuna—

"Tsuna-sama!" came a cry from the woods, and out of nowhere appeared Gokudera. He matched (barely) Tsunayoshi's speed as the former (or almost reinstated) Smoking Bomb scanned the area. "Are we under attack?"

"No," Tsuna gritted out in voice both stern and strained. "We have to get Basil-san to the hospital."

The bomber's scanning focused away from the woods around them and onto the unconscious boy. Green eyes flickered back and forth while the bomber's legs kept up the break-neck pace.

"Did the _idiota_ get in the way of your training?"

The question sparked orange eyes to life, and the glare that turned on the silver-haired bomber would have made most mafia bosses uncomfortable.

"He was _helping_ me," shot out the accusation and defense, and the bomber nearly fell over as his feet tangled together.

"_Gomenasai_," cried Gokudera. Somehow he managed to regain his speed and bow repeatedly at the same time. The image was…disturbingly troubling. The bomber quickly straightened out and with a much more subdued tone. "What can I do to help, Tsuna-sama?"

"Find Hibari—no, he's with Dino-san. Find Yamamoto and tell him to meet me at the hospital, and then go find Shamal," said Tsuna, his voice becoming ragged and panting. "Or Shoichi."

"_Hai_, Tsuna-sama," said Gokudera and rushed off to complete his orders. Having long ago learned to find the bright spot in dark situations, Fon allowed himself to loosen at the last of Tsuna's orders. Undoubtedly the Vongola's hyper intuition at work. Another sun flame user would not go amiss. Or perhaps it had caught onto the fact that Shamal wasn't far from his own student these days. The Italian teen should be fine. Truly wonders did seem to occur around their Tsuna.

Not soon enough, they arrived at the hospital. Tsuna sped past the nurse's station, earning a yell from two or three nurses. He brushed past a doctor into the treatment part of the emergency room and rushed towards a recently vacated stretcher bed. There he laid Basil carefully but quickly. Several nurses had nearly reached for him when he spun, and they froze under an intense orange gaze.

"You," said Tsuna, his tone and voice underlined with deep command. The doctor that Tsuna had brushed past flinched under the focused gaze. "Treat him."

The doctor opened his mouth to protest, but a loud clicking sound caught his attention. From the doctor's point of view, Reborn and his gun probably appeared to come out of thin air.

"You heard him," said the hitman, his tone deadly. Whatever protest (or question about a baby in the hospital) the doctor had shakily prepared slunk back down his throat. He jerkily hurried to the unconscious Basil's side. The doctor's dark brown eyes scanned the patient in trembling strides.

"He hit his head and bit his tongue," said Tsuna. The doctor froze before trembling but steady hands ran over Basil's skull. Carefully skilled fingers pried open the jaw, and an instant change came over the doctor.

"Get some antiseptic and cleaning cloths. Also, clear the X-ray room and warm up the MRI," barked the doctor. "He probably won't need the second, but we should prepare for the worst. He appears to have been brutally bashed through his jaw and then multiple hits to the head. And he's lost a lot of blood."

"Possible moderate to severe head trauma coupled with acute blood loss then," said a nurse that had strode in casually through the still trembling nurses. Fon recognized her as the one that had supervised Tsuna's own recovery after the Kokuyo incident.

"That's what I said," the doctor snapped.

"Then use the proper medical terms, Doctor Tanasa," said the nurse. "You are new to this hospital, but there is a level of professionalism that we try to meet even in this small town's hospital."

"Fine, just get what I need," said Doctor Tanasa, turning back to Basil and continuing to examine the unconscious teenager for more injuries.

"As I have said, this hospital attempts to hold to a level of professionalism. We cannot rearrange our schedule to cater to the whims of one doctor and two boys with a gun," said the nurse.

"Perhaps you can rearrange your schedule for the uncle of your chief security officer," said Fon, slipping out of his own shadow.

"I thought that you were his uncle," said the nurse, her hand vaguely gesturing towards Tsuna. Apparently, she had a good memory for faces. Or his remarkable stature stuck in her mind. Probably the latter, much to Fon's unending annoyance.

"His adoptive uncle. I am Kyoya's blood uncle by his mother," said Fon. The nurse's eyebrow rose, and Fon gave her a flat stare. The woman clicked her heels and turned towards the now blatantly curious nurses.

"Jura, Miyano, do as Doctor Tanasa said. The rest of you back to your stations," the nurse commanded. The other nurses immediately scattered to their assigned tasks. She then turned to Tsuna, Fon, and Reborn. "You three out. You brought him here, now allow us to do our jobs. We have all studied years to do them and rarely need additional motivation to accomplish what we can. If I see another gun, I will have to call hospital security and check your story."

"Thank you," said Tsuna, his voice growing soft and his eyes in his hair. "Please let us know if…when…"

"You heard her. We need to get out so that they can do their jobs, Dame-Tsuna. You should get you checked up while you're here," said Reborn, who had perched on the boy's head in order to give it a swift kick. Although Fon could think of several less violent ways to encourage Tsuna to move, the martial artist could not deny the effectiveness of the action, especially when the short brunet stumbled forward and toward the waiting room. The blankness quickly glassing over the brown eyes worried Fon as did the jerky manner of movement. He had taught his student better than that.

The boy all but stumbled over to one of the plastic chairs in the fairly empty waiting room. He sank into the chair and stared blankly at the wall. A nurse who hadn't been in the emergency room came over and checked Tsuna's injuries. The quiet man was smart enough to bring over a first aid kit rather than try to drag Tsuna over to a treatment area and quickly wrapped up the mildly deep cuts. He left almost as quickly as he came, citing other work that needed to get done. Fon kept his eyes on the nurse until the man was gone.

For the next half an hour, Fon sat on the boy's right while Reborn kept his seat on the boy's head. Several nurses passed, peeked in the waiting room, and then hurried quickly past once they caught sight of dark, black glaring eyes. On Tsuna's head, Reborn enjoyed an undisturbed nap.

Around the thirty minute mark, a familiar dark head peeked in the doorway and only grinned under Fon's gaze.

"Sorry I'm late," said Takeshi. "Gokudera came in the middle of sword practice."

"Does he still have all his limbs?" asked Fon.

A wooden sword swung into view on Takeshi's shoulder as the boy's grin widened enough to close his eyes.

"Dad said that the cut wasn't deep enough to lose his arm," said Takeshi. Sharp hazel eyes opened in slits and caught Tsuna's wince. The grin didn't falter as the young swordsman moved closer, though the same hazel eyes whipped over the slumped form and sharpened after catching sight of the white bandages and torn uniform. "Since he's coming here anyway, Dad helped bandage him up and promised to keep an eye on Gokudera until they bring Shoichi and the others here."

Tsuna nodded, but he didn't move. Reborn woke up from his impromptu nap and leapt off Tsuna's head. He headed for the door.

"You going to help Dad, kid?" asked Takeshi.

"I have a few calls to make," said Reborn, giving a side-glance backwards to Takeshi and then two pairs of dark, black eyes met. Fon nodded, and Reborn smirked. Fon gave up his seat to Takeshi and moved a couple of seats over. If anyone could get through to Tsuna, it would be the boy's future right hand man.

-break-

Takeshi leaned back in the plastic chair and resisted the urge to whack the unmoving head of his best friend with his shinai. Given what Gokudera had told Takeshi and his old man while Takeshi's dad had wrapped Gokudera's arm up, Tsuna had had an accident during training. Like the cut on Gokudera's arm, only worse because the new kid wasn't strong enough to stand up to Tsuna. If Gokudera or Takeshi or even Shoichi (from what Takeshi's old man said, Shoichi's teacher was almost as bad as Tsuna's teachers and Takeshi's old man) had been sparring with Tsuna, they wouldn't have ended up in the hospital. But then Takeshi couldn't blame Tsuna's teachers for not knowing that for sure. Even Takeshi's old man hadn't.

When the kid had left and Fon had given up his seat, Takeshi knew that they probably wanted him to talk to Tsuna or something. Unfortunately, Takeshi didn't know what to say. Half of him wanted to push Tsuna outside and demand a spar, and the other half wanted to drag Tsuna back to the sushi shop and play video games until the short brunet started smiling again. Takeshi frowned. He didn't like that Tsuna's smiles were so fragile.

"Takeshi," said a quiet voice, and Takeshi looked down at Tsuna whose gaze had shifted from the wall to the floor. Tsuna's mouth moved, but nothing came out. Takeshi smiled for his friend who couldn't.

"Gokudera's going to be okay," said Takeshi. "Dad said that things like that always happen in practice. Because if we don't go all out when we practice, we won't know how to go all out when we have to fight either. And an honorable swordsman never takes it easy on an opponent."

Brown eyes peered out from under brown hair before hiding away again. Next time they sparred, Takeshi was going to try really, really hard to "accidently" cut off Tsuna's bangs with his sword.

Minutes passed, and Takeshi sat beside his silent friend. The young swordsman couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew he should. His old man had been explaining what the ring Tsuna gave him really meant. How Tsuna had asked Takeshi to be his rain, "to become a blessed shower that settles conflict and washes everything away."

Or something like that. The problem was that Tsuna's conflicts were mostly inside the quiet brunet, and Takeshi didn't know how to attack things that were inside someone else. Well, sometimes he got lucky and said the right thing, but those were the kind of battles Takeshi couldn't fight for Tsuna. And they were the kind that Tsuna ran away from the most.

Takeshi leaned back and let his head bump against the wall to get Tsuna's attention, because what kind of rain guardian would he be if he didn't even try? What kind of brother would he be?

"Dad said that the cut could have been much worse," said Takeshi. "But Gokudera used one of those orb things that made it really hard to cut him any deeper. He's getting a whole lot stronger. I bet he'll get even stronger when he gets a teacher too. Then we'll all be able to spar without getting hurt so much."

Tsuna flinched, and Takeshi slumped into his chair further and allowing their shoulders to touch slightly.

"That's good because I don't think I could spar with anybody else. I mean, can you imagine me using Soen Shigure Ryu on the guys on the kendo team back at school? I think it'd really hurt them even if I used _bokken_," continued Takeshi. Black cloaked shadows and silver chains engulfed his thoughts, and Takeshi's eyes glittered like swords. "Too bad those _Vindice_ and that Daemon guy aren't like the kids at school or the new guy. We'd get Tamaki back in no time. Even the kid and Fon going at full strength couldn't knock them down. We're going to have to get a lot stronger very fast to stop them."

Tsuna's eyes came out of hiding to stare at Takeshi, and Takeshi grinned sharply.

"As soon as we know that the new guy's going to be alright, we should spar, Tsuna."

The brown eyes widened horribly, and Tsuna's face became as white as a baseball plate. Tsuna's mouth had dropped open, but Takeshi could see it was about to recover and form the word "no." If it did, Takeshi knew it would be near impossible to get Tsuna to change his mind. Even the kid and Fon couldn't get Tsuna to do what he didn't want to do once he decided not to do it. So Takeshi had to stop Tsuna now.

"Dad said I'm getting really good at reading my opponent and paying attention to my surroundings now. I even have a cool idea I would like to try when it rains. I want to see how I'd do against you now. We haven't sparred since that big fight we had about me quitting baseball. I bet I could beat you now."

Tsuna's mouth stayed open even as Tsuna shook his head. Takeshi bit back laughter. Tsuna really did look like a fish sometimes. A slight noise escaped his throat, and Tsuna glared at him.

"Or we could hang out at my house for a while and then spar tomorrow," said Takeshi. "I really want to spar with you, but you might end up in the hospital if you fight me right now."

"Why?" asked Tsuna, and Takeshi could almost hear the not-spoken words.

"You know, Tsuna," said Takeshi. He was grinning pretty widely. "We're pretty strong. If both of us weren't really trying, one of us could get really hurt. But that's how it is in fights. Someone could always get hurt. We have to be really careful that we know why we're fighting so only the right people get hurt."

"Basil wasn't the right people," said Tsuna, his eyes orange-scary.

"Nope," said Takeshi. He scratched the back of his head. His hazel eyes glanced down at the white bandages stained red around his best friend's chest and arm. "But I think that's because he forgot who the right people were."

Tsuna stared with his mouth closed and his lips curved a little upward. Takeshi inwardly cheered. Looks like he scored a home run.


End file.
